incendiary

English

WOTD – 25 March 2009

Etymology

Borrowing from Old French incendiaire, from Latin incendiārius (“setting alight”), from incendium (“destructive fire”), from incendō (“I set on fire, kindle”), from in- (“into, in, on, upon”) + candeō (“I am hot”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) enPR: ĭnsĕn'dĭərē, IPA^(key): /ɪnˈsɛn.dɪ.əɹ.i/, /ɪnˈsɛn.djəɹ.i/
• (US) enPR: ĭnsĕn´dĭĕ'rē, IPA^(key): /ɪnˈsɛn.di.ɛɹ.i/, /ɪnˈsɛn.di.əɹ.i/

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Adjective

incendiary (comparative more incendiary, superlative most incendiary)

1. Capable of, or used for, or actually causing fire.
   • 2006, Edwin Black, chapter 1, in Internal Combustion^[1]:

     Blast after blast, fiery outbreak after fiery outbreak, like a flaming barrage from within, […] most of Edison's grounds soon became an inferno. As though on an incendiary rampage, the fires systematically devoured the contents of Edison's headquarters and facilities.

2. Intentionally stirring up strife, riot, rebellion.
3. Inflammatory, emotionally charged.

   Politics is an incendiary topic; it tends to cause fights to break out.

Translations

capable of causing fire

• Catalan: incendiari (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 放火 (zh) (fànghuǒ)

• Czech: zápalný, žhářský
• Finnish: tulenarka (fi)
• French: incendiaire (fr)
• Galician: incendiario (gl)

• Italian: incendiario (it)
• Polish: zapalający m
• Portuguese: incendiário (pt)
• Russian: зажигательный (ru) (zažigatelʹnyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: loisgeach
• Urdu: آتِش گیر‏‎ (ur) (ātish'geer)

intentionally stirring up strife, riot, rebellion

• Catalan: incendiari (ca)
• Czech: buřičský
• Finnish: lietsova (fi)

• Polish: wichrzycielski m
• Russian: подстрекающий (ru) (podstrekajuščij), разжигающий (ru) (razžigajuščij)
• Scottish Gaelic: loisgeach

inflammatory, emotionally charged

• Catalan: incendiari (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 煽動 (zh), 煽动 (zh) (shāndòng)

• Czech: ohnivý (cs)

• Finnish: tulenarka (fi)
• Polish: prowokacyjny (pl) m
• Portuguese: inflamado (pt), acalorado (pt)

Noun

incendiary (plural incendiaries)

1. Something capable of causing fire, particularly a weapon.

   The military used incendiaries to destroy the building. Fortunately, the fire didn't spread.

2. One who maliciously sets fires; an arsonist.
3. (figuratively) One who excites or inflames factions into quarrels; an agitator.
   • Bentley

     Several cities […] drove them out as incendiaries.

Translations

something capable of causing fire

• Finnish: palopommi (fi) (weapon), sytyke (fi) (general)
• German: (military) Brandbombe (de) f
• Polish: bomba (pl) f zapalająca f

• Russian: зажигательный боеприпас m
• Volapük: lefilükamaboum