flammable

Definition

Capable of burning.

Etymology

Back-formation from inflammable, which is used to avoid confusion with non-flammable, as the prefix in- is often used to mean "un-; non-", although it was originally meant in a sense closely related to en-.

Example Sentences

• "flammable liquid"
• "In considering the possible commitment of U.S. forces to South Vietnam , the Joint Chiefs of Staff have reviewed the overall critical situation in Southeast Asia with particular emphasis upon the present highly flammable situation in South Vietnam."
• "They could stuff their ears with cotton, but they could not, after all, fight such flammable ideas ( at least not in the public squares where Attucks's war whoops could still be heard )."