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JadziaDax · 11-04-2003, 02:34 AM

The Word of the Day for November 4 is:

inflammable • \in-FLAM-uh-bul\ • (adjective) 1. flammable; 2. easily inflamed, excited, or angered; irascible

A little more information about today’s word:
"Combustible" and "incombustible" are opposites but "flammable" and "inflammable" are synonyms. Why? The "in-" of "incombustible" is a common prefix meaning "not," but the "in-" of "inflammable" is a different prefix. "Inflammable," which dates back to 1605, descends from the Latin "inflammare" ("to inflame"), from "in-" (here meaning "in" or "into") plus "flammare" ("to flame"). "Flammable" also comes from "flammare," but didn't enter English until 1813. In the early 20th century, firefighters worried that people might think "inflammable" meant "not able to catch fire," so they adopted "flammable" and "nonflammable" as official safety labels and encouraged their use to prevent confusion. In general use, "flammable" is now the preferred term for describing things that can catch fire, but "inflammable" is still occasionally used with that meaning as well.

My sentence (using definition #1):
The U.S. Commerce Department adopted rules banning inflammable children's sleepwear in the 1970s.

Based on Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, 10th Edition.

Next sentence?

11-04-2003, 02:34 AM	#6 (permalink)
JadziaDax Loser Location: who the fuck cares?	Word of the day November 4 The Word of the Day for November 4 is: inflammable • \in-FLAM-uh-bul\ • (adjective) 1. flammable; 2. easily inflamed, excited, or angered; irascible A little more information about today’s word: "Combustible" and "incombustible" are opposites but "flammable" and "inflammable" are synonyms. Why? The "in-" of "incombustible" is a common prefix meaning "not," but the "in-" of "inflammable" is a different prefix. "Inflammable," which dates back to 1605, descends from the Latin "inflammare" ("to inflame"), from "in-" (here meaning "in" or "into") plus "flammare" ("to flame"). "Flammable" also comes from "flammare," but didn't enter English until 1813. In the early 20th century, firefighters worried that people might think "inflammable" meant "not able to catch fire," so they adopted "flammable" and "nonflammable" as official safety labels and encouraged their use to prevent confusion. In general use, "flammable" is now the preferred term for describing things that can catch fire, but "inflammable" is still occasionally used with that meaning as well. My sentence (using definition #1): The U.S. Commerce Department adopted rules banning inflammable children's sleepwear in the 1970s. Based on Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, 10th Edition. Next sentence?