1. the action of setting something on fire or starting to burn: "three minutes after ignition, the flames were still growing"
▪ the process of starting the combustion of fuel in the cylinders of an internal combustion engine: "a small amount of diesel fuel must be injected to allow ignition"
▪ the mechanism for bringing about ignition in an internal combustion engine, typically activated by a key or switch:"she turned off the ignition"
Word Originearly 17th century (denoting the heating of a substance to the point of combustion or chemical change): from medieval Latin ignitio(n-), from the verb ignire ‘set on fire’ (see ignite).
