flame

B2 Topic:Materials & Substances

US /fleɪm/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like phlegm /ɛ/ vs /eɪ/

Freq #4691

Meanings

1

noun
The bright burning gas you see in a fire.

The candle's flame flickered in the breeze.
2

verb
To burn brightly or seem to glow like fire.

The sky seemed to flame in the sunset.
3

noun
A strong feeling such as passion, excitement, or anger.

His words fanned the flames of their anger.
4

verb
To attack someone with angry, insulting messages online.

He got flamed for posting that comment.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Word family

Forms flamedflamelessflamelikeflames

Derived forms flamerflaming

Appears in

Phrases (2)

See all

Idioms (1)

See all

go down in flames
To fail suddenly and completely.

Simplified etymology

Flame, recorded in Middle English, goes back to the same root as Latin flagrare, meaning “to blaze”; flagrant and conflagration are related through that Latin verb.

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.

flawme Middle English flame Old French flamma Latin flammula Latin *flagmā Proto-Italic *bʰel- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Materials & Substances

External links

# flame

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /fleɪm/
**Frequency rank:** 4691

## Meanings
1. The bright burning gas you see in a fire.
2. To burn brightly or seem to glow like fire.
3. A strong feeling such as passion, excitement, or anger.
4. To attack someone with angry, insulting messages online.

## Examples
- The candle's flame flickered in the breeze.
- The sky seemed to flame in the sunset.
- His words fanned the flames of their anger.
- He got flamed for posting that comment.

## Derived Forms
- flamer
- flaming

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: flawme
- Root: flame
- Root: flamma
- Root: flammula
- Root: *flagmā
- Root: *bʰel-

## 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.

## AI Etymology
Flame comes 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. In current use, the main senses are “The bright burning gas you see in a fire” and “To burn brightly or seem to glow like fire”.

## Topics
- Materials & Substances

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