conflagrate

English

Etymology

First attested in 1657; borrowed from Latin cōnflāgrātus, perfect passive participial of cōnflāgrō (to be consumed by fire; (rare) to set aflame), see -ate (verb-forming suffix).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈkänfləˌɡrāt/
  • Audio (US):(file)

Verb

conflagrate (third-person singular simple present conflagrates, present participle conflagrating, simple past and past participle conflagrated)

  1. (intransitive) To catch fire. [17th century to the present]
    Synonyms: go up in flames; see also Thesaurus:combust
  2. (transitive) To set fire to something. [17th century to the present]
    Synonyms: ignite, kindle; see also Thesaurus:kindle

Derived terms

Latin

Verb

cōnflagrāte

  1. second-person plural present active imperative of cōnflagrō