flash point

noun
1.
Also, flashing point. Physical Chemistry. the lowest temperature at which a liquid in a specified apparatus will give off sufficient vapor to ignite momentarily on application of a flame.
2.
a critical point or stage at which something or someone suddenly causes or creates some significant action: A 10 percent drop in mortgage rates will produce a flash point in the housing market.
3.
a critical situation or area having the potential of erupting in sudden violence: The Mideast has been the flash point for a series of conflicts.
Also, flash·point.

Origin:
1875–80

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
flash point or flashing point
 
—n
1.  the lowest temperature at which the vapour above a liquid can be ignited in air
2.  a critical moment beyond which a situation will inevitably erupt into violence: the political mood has reached flash point
 
flashing point or flashing point
 
—n

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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00:10
Flashpoint is always a great word to know.
So is ort. Does it mean:
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
flash point  
The lowest temperature at which the vapor of a flammable liquid will ignite in air. The flash point is generally lower than the temperature needed for the liquid itself to ignite.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary

flash point definition


For a given flammable substance, the lowest temperature at which vapors passing from the substance into the air will catch fire spontaneously if a small flame is present.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Example sentences
The specific flashpoint must be accurately identified by the mailer before a
  mailability determination can be made.
But the political flashpoint has raged around the boat arrivals.
The first flashpoint was the question of how much oil was leaking from the
  wellhead and where it was going.
In certain events that leave their mark on pop culture, there comes a
  flashpoint when everyone's talking about the same thing.
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