Confusing Words

mimo2005 · 11-19-2006, 08:38 AM

Why does inflammable mean the same thing as flammable?

http://www.confusingwords.com/index.php

inflammable able to be set aflame; easily excited or disturbed
flammable able to be set aflame

**Joefireline** · 11-19-2006, 09:16 AM

Interesting...

**carsey** · 11-19-2006, 09:23 AM

Strange...I would of though it meant it could not catch fire.

~~Wozer~~ · 11-19-2006, 09:32 AM

the following is from memory in high school, ~ 27 years ago..

the original word was inflammable...but many people got confused about it, and thought that meant it was NOT flammable..so it was 'changed' to flammable...change being 'relative' of course...I guess it really means that now flammable is an 'acceptable' word for use (i.e. its in the dictionary)...

the confusion arises from the 'in'...let's compare decent with indecent...decent means acceptable, indecent is the opposite...

the root word that causes the 'confusion' is flame...many people who memorize the 'rules' of english mistook the use of 'in' to mean NOT flammable...they were not properly realizing that the real root of inflammable was/is inflame...

as noted, the use of flammable is now 'accepted' and arises from the confusion of the 'in'

Zazula · 11-21-2006, 07:21 PM

Wozer is right. Copypasta from my dictionary:

Quote:

INFLAMMABLE and FLAMMABLE both mean “combustible.” INFLAMMABLE is the older by about 200 years. FLAMMABLE now has certain technical uses, particularly as a warning on vehicles carrying combustible materials, because of a belief that some might interpret the intensive prefix IN- of INFLAMMABLE as a negative prefix and thus think the word means “noncombustible.” INFLAMMABLE is the word more usually used in nontechnical and figurative contexts: The speaker ignited the inflammable emotions of the crowd.

The opposite of both inflammable and flammable is “non-flammable”.

mimo2005 · 11-22-2006, 09:25 AM

inflammable = flammable and the opposite is non flammable .

I think i got it now lol

11-19-2006, 08:38 AM	#1 (permalink)
mimo2005 Manager, Emeritus Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 11,142 OS: xp	Confusing Words Why does inflammable mean the same thing as flammable? http://www.confusingwords.com/index.php inflammable able to be set aflame; easily excited or disturbed flammable able to be set aflame __________________ TSF has outgrown its server, again. Please help "Gutta cavat lapidem, non vi sed saepe cadendo"

11-19-2006, 09:32 AM	#4 (permalink)
~~Wozer~~ Troubled Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 1,038 OS: 2kpro/XP pro/MCE	the following is from memory in high school, ~ 27 years ago.. the original word was inflammable...but many people got confused about it, and thought that meant it was NOT flammable..so it was 'changed' to flammable...change being 'relative' of course...I guess it really means that now flammable is an 'acceptable' word for use (i.e. its in the dictionary)... the confusion arises from the 'in'...let's compare decent with indecent...decent means acceptable, indecent is the opposite... the root word that causes the 'confusion' is flame...many people who memorize the 'rules' of english mistook the use of 'in' to mean NOT flammable...they were not properly realizing that the real root of inflammable was/is inflame... as noted, the use of flammable is now 'accepted' and arises from the confusion of the 'in' Last edited by Wozer; 11-19-2006 at 09:33 AM. Reason: was/is

11-22-2006, 09:25 AM	#6 (permalink)
mimo2005 Manager, Emeritus Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 11,142 OS: xp	inflammable = flammable and the opposite is non flammable . I think i got it now lol __________________ TSF has outgrown its server, again. Please help "Gutta cavat lapidem, non vi sed saepe cadendo"

11-19-2006, 09:16 AM	#2 (permalink)
Joefireline Enthusiastic TSFer~Joseph Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Portishead (Bristol) England Posts: 5,319 OS: Windows 7 64bit(Desktop) / XP Home SP2(laptop) My System	Interesting...

11-19-2006, 09:23 AM	#3 (permalink)
carsey Moderator, TSF Articles Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Hunwick, Co. Durham England Posts: 10,693 OS: XP Pro SP3 My System	Strange...I would of though it meant it could not catch fire.