Inflammable

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ɪnˈflæməbəl/

Definitions

1. Easily ignited and capable of burning quickly, this term refers to materials that can readily catch fire and maintain a flame
2. Pertaining to substances that can be quickly set ablaze and sustain combustion, this term identifies materials that ignite without difficulty
3. Able to catch fire easily and burn rapidly when exposed to flames or heat

Etymology: The most surprising thing about "inflammable" is that it means exactly what "flammable" means, yet people have repeatedly mistaken it for the opposite. The "in-" here is not a negation. It comes from the Latin prefix meaning "in" or "on", so the word means something close to "able to be set on fire." It was borrowed from Medieval Latin "inflammabilis," which was built from "inflammare," "to set on fire," itself made from "in" and "flamma," "flame." English then simply inherited the word's structure from "inflame," with the suffix "-able" added on. Because the prefix looks like the negative "in-" in words such as "invisible" or "impossible," many people read it as "not flammable," which has led to safety warnings and rewording on labels. Where the ambiguity matters, writers now tend to use "flammable" instead.

Synonyms: flammable, combustible

Antonyms: fireproof, non-flammable