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inflammable

 - 2 dictionary results

in⋅flam⋅ma⋅ble

[in-flam-uh-buhl]
–adjective
1. capable of being set on fire; combustible; flammable.
2. easily aroused or excited, as to passion or anger; irascible: an inflammable disposition.
–noun
3. something inflammable.

Origin:
1595–1605; < ML inflammābilis, equiv. to L inflammā(re) to inflame + -bilis -ble


in⋅flam⋅ma⋅bil⋅i⋅ty, in⋅flam⋅ma⋅ble⋅ness, noun
in⋅flam⋅ma⋅bly, adverb


2. fiery, volatile, choleric.


Inflammable and flammable both mean “combustible.” Inflammable is the older by about 200 years. Flammable now has certain technical uses, particularly as a warning on vehicles carrying combustible materials, because of a belief that some might interpret the intensive prefix in- of inflammable as a negative prefix and thus think the word means “noncombustible.” Inflammable is the word more usually used in nontechnical and figurative contexts: The speaker ignited the inflammable emotions of the crowd.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To inflammable
in·flam·ma·ble   (ĭn-flām'ə-bəl)   
adj.  
  1. Easily ignited and capable of burning rapidly; flammable. See Usage Note at flammable.

  2. Quickly or easily aroused to strong emotion; excitable.


[Middle English, liable to inflammation, from Medieval Latin īnflammābilis, from Latin īnflammāre, to inflame; see inflame.]
in·flam'ma·bil'i·ty n., in·flam'ma·ble n., in·flam'ma·bly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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