incendiary

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   capable of catching fire spontaneously or causing fires or burning readily

   An incendiary agent.

2. 2
   adj

   involving deliberate burning of property

   An incendiary fire.

3. 3
   adj

   Of a damaging fire, intentionally caused rather than accidental.

   The Crown must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the fire was incendiary in origin; that is, it was not accidental and that it was either intentionally or recklessly set by the accused.

4. 4
   adj

   Inflammatory, emotionally charged.

   Politics is an incendiary topic; it tends to cause fights to break out.

Common collocations

• incendiary bomb Adjective + noun

From Middle English incendiarie, from Old French incendiaire, from Latin incendiārius (“setting alight”), from incendium (“destructive fire”), from incendō (“to set on fire, kindle”), from in- (“into, in, on, upon”) + candeō (“to be hot”).

Topics

External links

• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary
• Google Images