Ignitible

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Able to be set alight or to catch fire easily when exposed to a flame or spark
2. Describing a substance or material that can be kindled and made to burn under the right conditions
3. Capable of being ignited, so that it readily starts to burn when heated or touched by a source of fire

Etymology: "Ignitible" is built from "ignite" plus the suffix "-ible," which means "capable of being" something. Something ignitible is capable of being set on fire. The verb "ignite" itself comes from Latin "ignire," meaning "to set on fire," and is rooted in "ignis," the Latin word for fire. English speakers borrowed the verb centuries after the Latin word had shaped much of the language of combustion, so "ignitible" carries that fiery root straight into its meaning. The suffix does most of the work here. "-ible" entered English through Old French from Latin "-ibilis," and it attaches to verbs to describe a capacity or potential. Words like "combustible," "flammable" in its older forms, and "ignitible" all follow the same pattern: a verb plus "-ible" yields an adjective describing what can undergo that action. The pairing with "ignite" is a plain, transparent formation rather than a special coinage. The result is a word whose structure reads almost like a definition. Its parts are "set alight" and "able to be," which is exactly what it means.

Synonyms: ignitable, combustible, flammable, inflammable

Antonyms: nonflammable, incombustible, fireproof