A historical fire-starting device or match that produced fire through friction or striking motion.
From 'clap' (to strike sharply) + 'match' (a fire-starting tool). This refers to early friction-based fire-making before modern matches were invented.
Before 1826 when the friction match was invented, starting a fire required serious skill and equipment—clapmatch devices were precursors to modern matches that revolutionized fire-making.
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