A small rectangular container for holding matches. Also refers to something very small in size, comparable to such a container.
Compound word from 'match' (from Old French 'meiche' meaning 'wick') plus 'box' (from Old English 'box' from Latin 'buxus'). The combined term emerged in mid-19th century with mass-produced safety matches.
Matchbox toys became a cultural phenomenon because they perfectly captured the post-war fascination with miniaturization - the same era that gave us transistor radios and TV dinners, when making things smaller was seen as the height of modern sophistication.
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