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combustive

 [kuhm-buhs-chuhn]   Origin

com·bus·tion

   [kuhm-buhs-chuhn]
noun
1.
the act or process of burning.
2.
Chemistry.
a.
rapid oxidation accompanied by heat and, usually, light.
b.
chemical combination attended by production of heat and light.
c.
slow oxidation not accompanied by high temperature and light.
3.
violent excitement; tumult.
Origin:
1400–50; late Middle English (< Middle French ) < Late Latin combūstiōn- (stem of combūstiō). See combust, -ion

Related forms
com·bus·tive, adjective
non·com·bus·tion, noun
non·com·bus·tive, adjective
pre·com·bus·tion, noun
self-com·bus·tion, noun
EXPAND
un·com·bus·tive, adjective
COLLAPSE
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Combustive is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
combustion (kəmˈbʌstʃən)
 
—n
1.  the process of burning
2.  any process in which a substance reacts with oxygen to produce a significant rise in temperature and the emission of light
3.  a chemical process in which two compounds, such as sodium and chlorine, react together to produce heat and light
4.  a process in which a compound reacts slowly with oxygen to produce little heat and no light
 
[C15: from Old French, from Latin combūrere to burn up, from com- (intensive) + ūrere to burn]
 
com'bustive
 
—n, —adj

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

combustion
c.1600 (combustibility is attested from 1471), from O.Fr. combustion, from L. combustionem (nom. combustio), from comburere "to burn," from com- intens. prefix + *burere, faulty sep. of amburere "to burn around," actually ambi-urere, from urere "to burn, singe."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

combustion com·bus·tion (kəm-bŭs'chən)
n.

  1. The process of burning.

  2. A chemical change, especially oxidation, accompanied by the production of heat and light.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
combustion   (kəm-bŭs'chən)  Pronunciation Key 

  1. The process of burning.

  2. A chemical change, especially through the rapid combination of a substance with oxygen, producing heat and, usually, light. See also spontaneous combustion.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary

combustion definition


Burning; a chemical reaction that involves the rapid combination of a fuel with oxygen. (See oxidation and spontaneous combustion.)

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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