flamable,inflamable,non-inflamable...why are there three?

Discussion in 'Bulletin Board ARCHIVE' started by Guest, Sep 30, 2006.

  1. Gue

    Guest Guest

    I mean the thing either flams or it doesn't flam
     
  2. EastStander

    EastStander Active Member

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    Surely non-inflamable is different!

    From dictionary.com

    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.
     
  3. Gue

    Guest Guest

    Off the top of your head mate?
     
  4. EastStander

    EastStander Active Member

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    No

    Hence the reference to dictionary.com
     
  5. Tor

    Toronto Tyke New Member

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    habited, unhabited, inhabited, uninhabited

    And of course, "in this world in which we live in"
     

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