Ignitable

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Capable of being ignited or set on fire under suitable conditions
2. Having the property that allows it to easily start burning when exposed to flame or heat
3. Describes a material or substance that can catch fire and sustain combustion

Etymology: "Ignitable" is a plain formation: the verb "ignite" with the suffix "-able" attached, meaning "able to be ignited." The verb itself comes from Latin "ignire," meaning "to set on fire," built on "ignis," fire. The ending traces back through Latin "-abilis," a suffix meaning "capable of being," which passed into Old French as "-able" and entered English in that form. The suffix is far more productive than the stem. English has attached "-able" to hundreds of verbs, so the same pattern that gives us "readable" or "washable" also yields "ignitable." Speakers form such words as needed, which is why "ignitable" appears mainly in technical and safety writing, where a substance's capacity to catch fire needs precise description, and it sits alongside its near-synonym "flammable."

Synonyms: flammable, combustible

Antonyms: non-flammable, incombustible