vesta

Victorian pocket light

A vesta is an old-fashioned term for a short wooden match, named after the Roman goddess of the hearth.

The word was common in British English during the 19th and early 20th centuries but has largely fallen out of use: He struck a vesta and lit his pipe. (Capitalized Vesta is the Roman goddess or the asteroid.)

matches

matchstick

Friction-lit fire starter

friction · ignition · flame · lucifer · safety match · phosphorus · light · kindle · firestick · matchbook

Opposites
fire-starting method

vestafire extinguisher

Portable flame suppression device

snuffer · fire blanket · lighter · damper · water

ROMAN DIVINE FEMININE (if considering goddess)

vestaVenus

Love goddess, or planet

Aphrodite · Bacchus · Dionysus · Mars · Diana

Phrases
Family

invest, divest, vestal

Familiarity
Top 1,000,000
Profile
Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Rated G