inflammable
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Middle French inflammable, from Medieval Latin īnflammābilis, from Latin īnflammāre (“to set on fire”), from in (“in, on”) + flamma (“flame”). Equivalent to inflame + -able.
Pronunciation[edit]
Adjective[edit]
inflammable (comparative more inflammable, superlative most inflammable)
- Capable of burning; easily set on fire.
- Synonyms: combustible, flammable
- Antonyms: fireproof, incombustible, nonflammable, noninflammable, unflammable, uninflammable
- 1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC:
- On he went a few paces and touched a second, then a third, and a fourth, till at last we were surrounded on all three sides by a great ring of bodies flaring furiously, the material with which they were preserved having rendered them so inflammable that the flames would literally spout out of the ears and mouth in tongues of fire a foot or more in length.
- (figuratively) Easily excited; set off by the slightest excuse; easily enraged or inflamed.
- Synonyms: hot-headed, quick to anger
- Antonyms: level-headed, unflappable
- (nonstandard) Incapable of burning; not easily set on fire.
- Synonyms: fireproof, incombustible, nonflammable, noninflammable, unflammable, uninflammable
- Antonyms: combustible, flammable
Usage notes[edit]
- Inflammable is traditionally used to mean "capable of burning" (compare inflame meaning "set on fire"); the term flammable is a more recent back-formation. Recently, comparison with other words where in- means "not" (like inedible and inaccurate) has led to inflammable being used to mean "not flammable". Where confusion might arise, especially where this may be a safety hazard, one may prefer to use flammable or non-flammable, respectively.
Related terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
capable of burning — see also flammable
easily excited
|
Noun[edit]
inflammable (plural inflammables)
- Any inflammable substance.
Further reading[edit]
- “inflammable”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “inflammable”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
French[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Inherited from Middle French inflammer + -able, from Latin īnflammābilis.
Pronunciation[edit]
- IPA(key): /ɛ̃.fla.mabl/
Audio (Switzerland) (file) - Homophone: inflammables
- Hyphenation: in‧flam‧mable
Adjective[edit]
inflammable (plural inflammables)
- flammable, inflammable
- Antonym: ininflammable
Derived terms[edit]
Further reading[edit]
- “inflammable”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Categories:
- English terms derived from Middle French
- English terms derived from Medieval Latin
- English terms derived from Latin
- English terms suffixed with -able
- English 4-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- English lemmas
- English adjectives
- English terms with quotations
- English nonstandard terms
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English contranyms
- French terms inherited from Middle French
- French terms derived from Middle French
- French terms suffixed with -able
- French terms derived from Latin
- French 3-syllable words
- French terms with IPA pronunciation
- French terms with audio links
- French terms with homophones
- French lemmas
- French adjectives