A wax taper or wax match used for lighting fires, common in Spanish and Latin American contexts.
From Spanish cerilla, derived from cera (wax), with the diminutive suffix -illa. This word entered English from Spanish colonial usage.
Before matchsticks became common, cerillas were the go-to fire-starting tool in Spanish-speaking countries, and the word is still used today in Spain and Latin America!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.