flammable, inflammable and how not to be flammable
flammable, inflammable and how not to be flammable
flammable- able to be set on fire
inflammable- able to be set on fire, able to be made angry
(he has a inflammable temper)
so the question is how to not be flammable.
Is it
imflammable
unflammable or
non flammable?
i saw the word inflammable in a news article and incorrectly understood it as unable to be set on fire. however, in my "journey" to finding out what it meant i realised i dont know the correct way to say the opposit of flammable. also why these two words share a common definition that doesnt use a different word to show the degree of it (such as annoyed vs enraged, both forms of angry just to a different degree). it seems redundent.
inflammable- able to be set on fire, able to be made angry
(he has a inflammable temper)
so the question is how to not be flammable.
Is it
imflammable
unflammable or
non flammable?
i saw the word inflammable in a news article and incorrectly understood it as unable to be set on fire. however, in my "journey" to finding out what it meant i realised i dont know the correct way to say the opposit of flammable. also why these two words share a common definition that doesnt use a different word to show the degree of it (such as annoyed vs enraged, both forms of angry just to a different degree). it seems redundent.
-
- Great Grand Panjandrum
- Posts: 2578
- Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2005 3:56 pm
- Location: Crownsville, MD
Ah, one of the classic confusing words in English!
Short answer: use flammable to mean something that can burn and nonflammable for something that can't.
Short answer: use flammable to mean something that can burn and nonflammable for something that can't.
From the Online Etymology Dictionary:flammable
SYLLABICATION: flam·ma·ble
PRONUNCIATION: flăm'ə-bəl
ADJECTIVE: Easily ignited and capable of burning rapidly; inflammable.
ETYMOLOGY: From Latin flammāre, to set fire to, from flamma, flame. See bhel-[sup]1[/sup] in Appendix I.
OTHER FORMS: flamma·bili·ty —NOUN
flamma·ble —NOUN
USAGE NOTE: Historically, flammable and inflammable mean the same thing. However, the presence of the prefix in– has misled many people into assuming that inflammable means “not flammable” or “noncombustible.” The prefix –in in inflammable is not, however, the Latin negative prefix –in, which is related to the English –un and appears in such words as indecent and inglorious. Rather, this –in is an intensive prefix derived from the Latin preposition in. This prefix also appears in the word enflame. But many people are not aware of this derivation, and for clarity's sake it is advisable to use only flammable to give warnings.
inflammable
SYLLABICATION: in·flam·ma·ble
PRONUNCIATION: ĭn-flăm'ə-bəl
ADJECTIVE: 1. Easily ignited and capable of burning rapidly; flammable. See Usage Note at flammable. 2. Quickly or easily aroused to strong emotion; excitable.
ETYMOLOGY: Middle English, liable to inflammation, from Medieval Latin īnflammābilis, from Latin īnflammāre, to inflame. See inflame.
OTHER FORMS: in·flamma·bili·ty —NOUN
in·flamma·ble —NOUN
in·flamma·bly —ADVERB
nonflammable
SYLLABICATION: non·flam·ma·ble
PRONUNCIATION: nŏn-flăm'ə-bəl
ADJECTIVE: Not flammable, especially not readily ignited and not rapidly burned.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
inflame
1340, "to set on fire with passion," fig. use of L. inflammare "to set on fire, kindle," from in- "in" + flammare "to flame," from flamma "flame" (see flame). Literal sense of "to cause to burn" first recorded in Eng. 1382. Inflammable "able to be set alight" is from 1605. Inflammatory "tending to rouse passions or anger" is from 1711. Inflammation "redness or swelling in a body part" is from 1533.
Regards//Larry
"To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them."
-- Attributed to Richard Henry Lee
"To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them."
-- Attributed to Richard Henry Lee
Welcome, adama!
In addition to Stargzer's thorough response, I'd say probably either uninflammable or non-flammable will both work to describe something that is not flammable.
I'd use uninflammable also in the metaphorical sense, re: tempers, etc.
-Tim
edit: I see now that nonflammable is more correctly spelt without the hyphen, but I'm not sure I like it that way!
In addition to Stargzer's thorough response, I'd say probably either uninflammable or non-flammable will both work to describe something that is not flammable.
I'd use uninflammable also in the metaphorical sense, re: tempers, etc.
-Tim
edit: I see now that nonflammable is more correctly spelt without the hyphen, but I'm not sure I like it that way!
adama: manufacturers cut through the whole flam-mess and use flame-retardant; flameproof also works, depending on context.
-gailr
-gailr
-
- Junior Lexiterian
- Posts: 48
- Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2005 10:18 am
- Location: France
- Contact:
-
- Grand Panjandrum
- Posts: 1464
- Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2005 3:31 pm
- Location: Botucatu - SP Brazil
-
- Junior Lexiterian
- Posts: 48
- Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2005 10:18 am
- Location: France
- Contact:
-
- Grand Panjandrum
- Posts: 1464
- Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2005 3:31 pm
- Location: Botucatu - SP Brazil
Here again my Merriam-Webster's Concise Dictionary of English Usage:
flammable, inflammable These two words are synonymous. Flammable is a much newer word, apparently coined in 1813 to serve in a translation from Latin. In the 1920s it was adopted by the National Fire Protection Association in place of inflammable. Underwriters and others interested in fire safety followed suit. The reason given for its adoption was the possibility that the in- of inflammable might be misunderstood as a negative prefix. We do not know whether sucyh a misunderstanding has ever actually occurred. We do have occasional citations that show some uncertainty about the meaning of the words, so there seems to be some basis for the concern about misunderstanding.
The publicity campaign understaken to urge wider adoption of flammable put the word in the public eye on numerous occasions over the years. Eventually the ivory tower -- where nothing burns, apparently -- began to be heard bemoaning the loss of a fine literary word (inflammable) which was being shunted aside by a "corrupt" form. The combination of publicity and occasional outbreaks of lamentation have helped land the subject in many usage books.
Our files show that both forms continue to be used. Flammable is less common in British English than it is in American English. Flammable is used literally; figurative use belongs to inflammable:
The vision of a single young woman is said to have overcome the inflammable Monk - George Meredith, The Ordeal of Richard Fe3revel, 1859
But the inflammable and inflammatory materials were there to be ignited by critics of the scientific-military Establishment - Donald Fleming, Atlantic, September 1970
Nonflammable is the usual negative compound of flammable.
Brazilian dude
flammable, inflammable These two words are synonymous. Flammable is a much newer word, apparently coined in 1813 to serve in a translation from Latin. In the 1920s it was adopted by the National Fire Protection Association in place of inflammable. Underwriters and others interested in fire safety followed suit. The reason given for its adoption was the possibility that the in- of inflammable might be misunderstood as a negative prefix. We do not know whether sucyh a misunderstanding has ever actually occurred. We do have occasional citations that show some uncertainty about the meaning of the words, so there seems to be some basis for the concern about misunderstanding.
The publicity campaign understaken to urge wider adoption of flammable put the word in the public eye on numerous occasions over the years. Eventually the ivory tower -- where nothing burns, apparently -- began to be heard bemoaning the loss of a fine literary word (inflammable) which was being shunted aside by a "corrupt" form. The combination of publicity and occasional outbreaks of lamentation have helped land the subject in many usage books.
Our files show that both forms continue to be used. Flammable is less common in British English than it is in American English. Flammable is used literally; figurative use belongs to inflammable:
The vision of a single young woman is said to have overcome the inflammable Monk - George Meredith, The Ordeal of Richard Fe3revel, 1859
But the inflammable and inflammatory materials were there to be ignited by critics of the scientific-military Establishment - Donald Fleming, Atlantic, September 1970
Nonflammable is the usual negative compound of flammable.
Brazilian dude
Languages rule!
The Elements of Style defines flammable as:
Flam,
flamable im prezens of keales speach
And incinerate does not mean "not reducible to ashes."Flammable. An oddity, chiefly useful in saving lives. The common word meaning "combustible" is inflammable. But some people are thrown off by the in- and think inflammable means "not combustible." For this reason, trucks carrying gasoline or explosives are now marked FLAMMABLE. Unless you are operating such a truck and hence are concerned with the safety of children and illiterates, use inflammable.
Flam,
flamable im prezens of keales speach
-
- Grand Panjandrum
- Posts: 1464
- Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2005 3:31 pm
- Location: Botucatu - SP Brazil
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 5 guests