combustion

C2 Topic:Chemistry

US /kəmˈbʌs.t͡ʃən/ See IPA manual

Freq #20444

Meanings

1

noun
The process of burning, in which a substance reacts with oxygen to produce heat and light.

Combustion of fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide into the air.
2

noun
A state of violent excitement, tumult, or disturbance.

The unfair ruling threw the whole crowd into combustion.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the process of burning, in... burning

Word family

Forms combustions

Derived forms autocombustioncombustionarymoxibustionnoncombustionpostcombustionpre-combustionprecombustionrecombustion

Related forms combustiblecombustivecombustor

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

spontaneous combustion
ignition caused by heat generated within a substance itself

Adjective + noun

Simplified etymology

Combustion entered English in the late Middle English period from late Latin combustio, from Latin comburere, meaning “to burn up.”

Etymology

From Old French combustion, from Latin combustio, from comburere (“to burn”), itself from the intensifying prefix com- + the root burere (a faulty sep. of amburere "to burn around", itself from ambi- + urere "to burn, singe"); equivalent to combust + -ion.

combustio Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Chemistry Actions & Processes Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# combustion

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /kəmˈbʌs.t͡ʃən/
**Frequency rank:** 20444

## Meanings
1. The process of burning, in which a substance reacts with oxygen to produce heat and light.
2. A state of violent excitement, tumult, or disturbance.

## Examples
- Combustion of fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide into the air.
- The unfair ruling threw the whole crowd into combustion.

## Derived Forms
- autocombustion
- combustionary
- moxibustion
- noncombustion
- postcombustion
- pre-combustion
- precombustion
- recombustion

## Related Forms
- combustible
- combustive
- combustor

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: combustio

## Etymology
From Old French combustion, from Latin combustio, from comburere (“to burn”), itself from the intensifying prefix com- + the root burere (a faulty sep. of amburere "to burn around", itself from ambi- + urere "to burn, singe"); equivalent to combust + -ion.

## AI Etymology
Combustion is from Old French combustion, from Latin combustio, from comburere (“to burn”), itself from the intensifying prefix com- + the root burere (a faulty sep. of amburere "to burn around", itself from ambi- + urere "to burn, singe"); equivalent to combust + -ion. The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern nominal form is built from the named base and affix. Important recorded forms include combustio (Latin). Current senses include the process of burning, in which a substance reacts with oxygen to produce heat and light and a state of violent excitement, tumult, or disturbance. The wider family includes derived forms such as autocombustion, combustionary, moxibustion, noncombustion, and postcombustion; related words such as combustible, combustive, and combustor.

## Topics
- Chemistry
- Actions & Processes
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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