Home › Glossary › Letter C

Cinder

Diction
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A small piece of partly burned coal or wood that has stopped giving off flames but still retains heat.

Detailed Definition
A 'Cinder' is a remnant of a fire, often used metaphorically to represent something that has lost its vitality or is in a state of decay. In the poem, it symbolizes the speaker's diminished sexual potency and the remnants of passion that once burned brightly.
Example
Example in poetry:
"Apply'd to my dead Cinder, warms no more" (ashes, embers); "The cinder of the fire" (physical); "Her heart was a cold cinder" (metaphorical); "Cinder of burned hope" (despair); "Cinder and dust of ages" (mortality)
Additional Notes
The word 'Cinder' illustrates the speaker's loss of vitality and desire, emphasizing the poem's themes of impotence and despair.; Found in the poem, The Imperfect Enjoyment by John Wilmot
Also Known As
ash ember cinder remnant burned residue
Skip to main content