vlam

Vlam is a Dutch and Afrikaans noun meaning flame or blaze. In everyday language it refers to the visible, gaseous part of a fire and the light and heat it produces. The word is used in a wide range of contexts, from describing the flame of a candle or stove to more technical discussions in combustion science and engineering, where phrases such as flame temperature or flame front are common. Vlam can also function as a verb in Dutch, vlammen, meaning to burn or to flare up, and used metaphorically to describe intense emotion, rapid escalation, or passionate activity.

Etymology: Vlam belongs to the Germanic family of words for fire and flame. It has cognates in related languages, such as Afrikaans vlam and German Flamme, though the forms and developments differ between languages. The Dutch word is native to West Germanic vocabulary and long established in everyday speech and literature.

See also: flame, fire, combustion, flame front.