conflagration

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a large, destructive, and uncontrolled fire

   The warehouse conflagration took more than a hundred firefighters to contain.

2. 2
   noun

   a large and violent conflict or disaster that spreads rapidly

   Leaders feared that the border dispute could ignite a regional conflagration.

Simplified etymology

Conflagration, recorded in late Middle English, derives from Latin flagrare, “to blaze.” It belongs to the same historical word family as flagrant, flame, and flamboyant.

From Middle French conflagration, from Latin conflagratio ("a burning"), from conflagrare ("to burn up"). The Latin verb combines con- as an intensive prefix with flagrare ("to blaze"). Its figurative use transfers the rapid spread and destruction of fire to wars and other crises.

Topics

External links

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