inflame

Inflame is a verb with several related senses. In its most literal sense, it means to set on fire or to ignite something, as when a spark inflames a fuel or a piece of tinder. Metaphorically, inflame can mean to arouse or intensify strong feelings or actions, such as inflaming passions or inflaming public opinion. In medical language, to inflame means to cause tissue to become inflamed, resulting in redness, swelling, and pain; an inflamed area indicates an inflammatory process.

Etymology and related forms: inflame comes from the Latin inflammare, meaning “to set on fire,” from in- (on, toward) and flamma (flame). Related terms include inflammation (the noun for the immune or physiological response), inflamed (the adjective describing tissue in an inflammatory state), and inflammatory (an adjective describing things that provoke or relate to inflammation or that are designed to excite controversy). A common but separate word is inflammable, which means easily set on fire; note that inflammable and flammable have the same meaning despite the prefix in- not negating it, which can lead to confusion with nonstandard interpretations of similar-looking words.

Usage notes: inflame is transitive and typically takes a concrete object (to inflame a fire) or a figurative object (to inflame tensions, inflame passions). It is often used in political or rhetorical contexts to describe actions that provoke strong reactions, as well as in medical contexts to describe the onset of inflammation.

See also: inflammation, inflammatory, inflamed, inflammable.