words words words

[telophase]

edit: Found it! Atend, to set on fire, to kindle.

I need a word that is usable as a command word to invoke a magic item. For Reasons I don't want to make it up, nor do I want to use a commonly known word. (Perhaps I have been too much influenced by Gene Wolfe.) It needs to be a shortish (1-2 syllables), sharp word, preferably a verb but I can live without that, and the meaning needs to be in the vague area of flash, burn, blast, explode, emit, fire, burst, blaze, give off, radiate, etc. I am also open to archaic versions of common or less-common words.

As an example, another command word used for a magic item that intensifies the effect of another is onerate, which is to load or burden (presumably related to onerous.

(I originally tried making it up. It just doesn't work.)

Comments

[helen_keeble]

Ignis?

[telophase]

Aha! That got me thinking about ignite, and I looked it up in the OED's historical thesaurus, which led me to atend, Old English for to kindle; set on fire. Thank you!

Now why ignite didn't occur to me as a synonym earlier, I'll never know.

[estara]

1st reaction: cool!
2nd reaction: might readers not misunderstand that as a typo for the verb "to attend"?

[telophase]

Given the situation in which it occurs, I don't believe so. :)

edit: I mostly have to train Scrivener to not autocorrect it. XD

[yhlee]

I worry that "atend" is going to look like a typo for "attend"...but I know naming things is hard. XD

[telophase]

Given the circumstances, and that it’ll be in italics every time it’s used, I don’t think it’s a problem. People don’t mix up Hai and “Hi,” due to context.

[yhlee]

Fair enough! I'm a sound-based reader, so the fact that they sound the same would trip me up, but most readers are visual so you're probably okay.

(I differentiate hai and "hi" because the tone of voice is different, and English does vowel glides in a way that Japanese doesn't. XD )