Yahoo Answers is shutting down on 4 May 2021 (Eastern Time) and the Yahoo Answers website is now in read-only mode. There will be no changes to other Yahoo properties or services, or your Yahoo account. You can find more information about the Yahoo Answers shutdown and how to download your data on this help page.

etymology of the word 'inflammable'?

Etymologically, why does inflammable have the same meaning as flammable?

3 Answers

Relevance
  • 1 month ago
    Favourite answer

    Inflame means to cause to burn.  Flame means burn.  Well, a thing that can be caused to burn is effectively as likely to burn as a thing which is burnable.

    The noun forms come into existence via different verb forms.  The action part, the verb itself, does have a different meaning.  The noun part loses that distinction, because the distinction is only in the act, not the result.

  • 1 month ago

    While the "in" prefix most often implies the negative, there are times when it implies or increases the meaning of some words.

  • 1 month ago

    Because it just does.

Still have questions? Get answers by asking now.