Etymology
1. 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.
2. From Middle English inflammen, enflamen, enflaumen (“to set (something) on fire; to be on fire; (figurative) to enrage (someone); to become enraged; to incite (someone) to do evil; to inspire (someone); (medicine) to cause inflammation of (a body part)”), from Old French enflamer, enflammer (“to set (something) on fire, inflame; to be on fire; (figurative) to fuel (a debate, hatred, etc.)”) (modern French enflammer), from Latin inflammāre, the present active infinitive of inflammō (“to set (something) on fire, inflame; (figurative) to excite (someone)”), from in- (prefix meaning ‘into; to, towards’) + flammō (“to set (something) on fire; to be on fire; (figurative) to incite (someone)”) (from flamma (“flame, fire; (figurative) passion”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel-, *bʰl̥g- (“to blaze, burn; to glow, shine; bright flame, fire”)) + -ō (suffix forming regular first-conjugation verbs)). By surface analysis, in- (prefix meaning ‘into; to, towards’) + flame. See: Old French '
enflamer', French '
enflammer'.
Verbs referencing "inflame"
Ido inflamar.