flame

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.

• enPR: flām, IPA^(key): /fleɪm/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪm

flame (countable and uncountable, plural flames)

1. The visible part of fire; a stream of burning vapour or gas, emitting light and heat.
   • 1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter III, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:

     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 […].

   • 2013 July-August, Henry Petroski, “Geothermal Energy”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 4:

     Energy has seldom been found where we need it when we want it. Ancient nomads, wishing to ward off the evening chill and enjoy a meal around a campfire, had to collect wood and then spend time and effort coaxing the heat of friction out from between sticks to kindle a flame.

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

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:lover

   • 1844 January–December, W[illiam] M[akepeace] Thackeray, “Conclusion”, in “The Memoirs of Barry Lyndon, Esq. [The Luck of Barry Lyndon.]”, in Miscellanies: Prose and Verse, volume III, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1856, →OCLC:

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

3. (Internet, somewhat dated) An aggressively insulting criticism or remark.
   • 1995, Paul McFedries, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Usenet Newsgroups, Alpha Books, →ISBN, page 39:

     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.

4. A brilliant reddish orange-gold fiery colour.
   flame:  
   • 1897, Bram Stoker, Dracula, published 1993, page 73:

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

5. (music, chiefly lutherie) 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.

6. Burning zeal, passion, imagination, excitement, or anger.
   • 1667, John Milton, “Book V”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:

     in a flame of zeal severe

   • 1717, Alexander Pope, “Eloisa to Abelard”, in The Works of Mr. Alexander Pope, volumes (please specify |volume=I or II), London: […] W[illiam] Bowyer, for Bernard Lintot, […], published 1717, →OCLC:

     where flames refin'd in breasts seraphic glow

   • 1834, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Julia:

     Till charming Florio, born to conquer, came
     And touch'd the fair one with an equal flame

7. (obsolete, botany) A variety of carnation.
   • 1718, Richard Bradley, “Part II. Chapter II: Of Perannual Flowers, the talleſt Blowers. Sect IX. Of the Carnation or July-Flower […] ”, in New Improvements of Planting and Gardening, Both Philoſophical and Practical […] , 2nd edition, London: W. Mears, page 82:

     The Gardeners divide it into Five Claſſes, which they diſtinguiſh by the Name of Picketees, Painted Ladies, Beazarts, Flakes, and Flames: […] the Flames have a red Ground always ſtrip’d with black or very dark Colours.

   • 1812, Peter Forbes, “On going to see a nobleman’s gardener in the neighbourhood”, in Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect, Edinburgh: R. Menzies, page 89:

     Sic flow’rs o’ sorts ane seldom sees, / Flecks, flames, bussards an’ picketees, / Wi’ strong carnations, like young trees, / To face the entry; […]

flame (third-person singular simple present flames, present participle flaming, simple past and past participle flamed)

1. To produce flames; to burn with a flame or blaze.
   • c. 1608–1609 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Coriolanus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iii]:

     The main blaze of it is past, but a small thing would make it flame again.

2. To burst forth like flame; to break out in violence of passion; to be kindled with zeal or ardour.
   • 1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter 2, in The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volumes (please specify |volume=I to V), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC:

     He flamed with indignation.

3. (Internet, transitive, intransitive) To post a destructively critical or abusive message (to somebody).

   I flamed him for spamming in my favourite newsgroup.

   • 1983 October 20, Joe Ziegler, net.motss‎ (Usenet):

     I wish you had the nerve to put your own name on that article, rather than logging into a public account to do it. I would have prefered to respond to you personally, rather than burden the net with my flaming, particularly since opinions like yours are best left ignored. But I feel I must respond to this one.

   • 1989 June 29, Neil McAvoy [Wing Attack Plan R], rec.music.gdead‎ (Usenet):

     This was one of the highest points of the show for me. Playin' followed, with a nice jam afterwards. After that, Jerry wandered into Crazy Fingers. (I had been hoping for Terrapin...oh well. Crazy Fingers seems to highlight Jerry's ability to come in late and tentative on lyrics. I'm sure I'll get flamed, since lots of folks seem to worship CF.)

   • 2001, w:Jonathan Franzen, The Corrections:

     If he got flamed for his lies or his ignorance, he simply moved to another chat room.

   • 2019, Steven McCornack, Kelly Morrison, Reflect & Relate, 5th edition:

     Because online communication makes it easy to flame, many of us impetuously fire off messages that we later regret.

• flamer
• flaming

• flambé

flame (not comparable)

1. Of a brilliant reddish orange-gold colour, like that of a flame.

• (reds) red; blood red, brick red, burgundy, cardinal, carmine, carnation, cerise, cherry, cherry red, Chinese red, cinnabar, claret, crimson, damask, fire brick, fire engine red, flame, flamingo, fuchsia, garnet, geranium, gules, hot pink, incarnadine, Indian red, magenta, maroon, misty rose, nacarat, oxblood, pillar-box red, pink, Pompeian red, poppy, raspberry, red violet, rose, rouge, ruby, ruddy, salmon, sanguine, scarlet, shocking pink, stammel, strawberry, Turkey red, Venetian red, vermilion, vinaceous, vinous, violet red, wine ^{(Category: en:Reds)}

• femal, fleam

• IPA^(key): /flam/
• Homophones: flament, flames

Inherited from Middle French flame.

flame f (plural flames)

1. Obsolete spelling of flamme

flame

1. inflection of flamer:
   1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
   2. second-person singular imperative

flame

1. Alternative form of flawme

flame

1. Alternative form of flawmen

From Latin flamma.

flame oblique singular, f (oblique plural flames, nominative singular flame, nominative plural flames)

1. flame
   • c. 1250, Rutebeuf, Ci encoumence la complainte d ou conte huede de nevers:

     Senz redouteir l'infernal flame

     Without fearing the infernal flame

• enflamer

• → English: flame
• Middle French: flame
  • French: flame, flamme

• IPA^(key): [ˈflame]

flame f

1. inflection of flamă:
   1. indefinite plural
   2. indefinite genitive/dative singular

• IPA^(key): /flam/

flame f (plural flames)

1. flame

   Synonym: blame