flame

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   criticize harshly, usually via an electronic medium

   the person who posted an inflammatory message got flamed

2. 2
   verb

   be in flames or aflame

   The sky seemed to flame in the Hawaiian sunset

3. 3
   noun

   The visible part of fire; a stream of burning vapour or gas, emitting light and heat.

   Long after his cigar burnt bitter, he sat with eyes fixed on the blaze. When the flames at last began to flicker and subside, his lids fluttered, then drooped; but he had lost all reckoning of time when he opened them again to find Miss Erroll in furs and ball-gown kneeling on the hearth[…].

4. 4
   noun

   A romantic partner or lover in a usually short-lived but passionate affair.

   I could copy out yards of rhapsody to Lord George Poynings, her old flame, in which she addressed him by the most affectionate names.

5. 5
   noun

   An aggressively insulting criticism or remark.

   Flames are, unfortunately, a fact of USENET life. It's a rare USENET regular who hasn't been shaken to the foundations with anger at something some jerk has posted.

6. 6
   noun

   A brilliant reddish orange-gold fiery colour.

   [M]arked by myriad clouds of every sunset-colour - flame, purple, pink, green, violet, and all the tints of gold.

7. 7
   noun

   The contrasting light and dark figure seen in wood used for stringed instrument making; the curl.

   The cello has a two-piece back with a beautiful narrow flame.

8. 8
   noun

   Burning zeal, passion, imagination, excitement, or anger.

   in a flame of zeal severe

Etymology

From Middle English flawme, blend of Old French flame and flambe, flamble, the first from Latin flamma, the second from Latin flammula, diminutive of flamma, both from pre-Latin *fladma; Proto-Italic *flagmā, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- (“to shimmer, gleam, shine”). Displaced native Old English līeġ.