flints

Primitive fire starters

Flints is the plural of flint, a hard sedimentary rock that fractures into sharp edges.

Prehistoric humans shaped flints into tools and weapons.

A flint is also the small piece of hard material in a lighter that produces sparks when struck: I need to replace the flint in my Zippo.

Flint can describe anything hard or unyielding: a flint-eyed stare.

prehistoric

knapping

Fracturing stone for tools

spearhead · Paleolithic · Neolithic · Mesolithic · lithic · core · flake · pressure flaking · scraper · burin

firestarting

tinder

Combustible material for ignition

steel · firestarter · combustion · friction · ignition · ember · campfire · bonfire · bushcraft · percussion

geology

chert

Fine-grained siliceous stone

conchoidal fracture · sedimentary · chalk · limestone · cortex · banding · microcrystalline · hardness · vitreous · opaque

tools

scraper

Tool for removing buildup

  • bladeFlat cutting edge
  • knifeSharp cutting utensil
  • axeBladed tool for chopping

adze · awl · graver · point · cutting edge · sharp · worked · retouched · utilized · preform

flintlock

musket

Muzzle-loaded infantry firearm

  • rifleLong-barreled shoulder weapon
  • pistolCompact one-handed firearm
  • firearmProjectile weapon using explosives

frizzen · lock · hammer · pan · powder · discharge · muzzleloader · Brown Bess · Revolutionary War · colonial

Categories
Opposites
fire-starting method

flintsmatches

Pairs that align

fire extinguishers · safety matches · lighters · water

material hardness

flintsputty

Pliable sealing compound

clay · talc · wax · mud · chalk

material workability

flintsrubber

Elastic polymer from trees

leather · copper · gold · lead · plastics

Phrases
Family

flint, flinty, gunflint

Familiarity
Top 200,000
Profile
Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G