Flame

How to spell flame

5 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce flame

What does flame mean?

1. nounThe glowing, visible part of a fire, made of burning gas.
2. verbTo burn with a bright, visible fire, or to glow with heat or colour.

Flame in a sentence

• noun

  A single flame flickered above the candle on the table.

• verb

  The dry logs began to flame as soon as the match touched them.

• noun

  The gas ring produced a steady blue flame under the pan.

• verb

  Her cheeks would flame red whenever she felt embarrassed.

Where does flame come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word arrived in English during the 1300s from Old French flame or flamme, which came in turn from the Latin flamma, meaning 'a blazing fire' or 'a flame'. The Latin flamma is thought to derive from an earlier root flagrare, meaning 'to burn' or 'to blaze', the same source that gives English 'flagrant' and 'conflagration'. Over time the noun broadened beyond literal fire to cover the passion of love, which is why an old sweetheart could be called an 'old flame'. The figurative internet sense of a hostile message grew up much later in the twentieth century. The spelling kept its single 'm', unlike the Latin flamma, because the borrowing came through the French form where the doubled consonant had already smoothed away.

How the word is built

• flam- (from Latin flamma: a blazing fire)
• -e (English spelling)