A dry, crumbly fungus found on tree bark that catches fire easily and was historically used as tinder for starting fires.
From French 'amadou,' derived from Portuguese 'amadouro' or Spanish 'yesca.' The Portuguese word comes from medieval medical Arabic and Greek roots related to burning or igniting.
Amadou was literally the lighter and tinder of pre-industrial life—people carried pouches of it on journeys because creating fire with a flint and steel was unreliable, and a piece of amadou could save your life in the cold.
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