inflammatory

UK/ɪnˈflæmət(ə)ɹi/

adjectiveB2+Occasional — familiar, but not everyday · #9,857 of 15,258leans written

Inflammatory means likely to stir up anger, or causing swelling. Inflammatory remarks, inflammatory language, an inflammatory condition.

The two senses share the image of setting alight. In medicine it is plain description, and anti-inflammatory drugs are among the most widely taken medicines there are.

Definitions of inflammatory

1adjectiveinflammatoryLikely to stir up anger, or causing swelling.B2+
“The politician was criticised for making inflammatory comments about immigrants.”

inflammatory is a quality.

Where it comes from

Proto-Indo-European
*bʰel-
Middle English
enflaumen
English
inflame
English, today
inflammatory

Built from

enflaumen · Middle English — to set (something) on fire; to be on fire; (figurative) to enrage (someone); to become enraged; to incite (someone) to do evil; to inspire (someone); (medicine) to cause inflammation of (a body part)
enflammer · Old French — to set (something) on fire, inflame; to be on fire; (figurative) to fuel (a debate, hatred, etc.)
inflammō · Latin — to set (something) on fire, inflame; (figurative) to excite (someone)
flammō · Latin — to set (something) on fire; to be on fire; (figurative) to incite (someone)

From inflame + -atory. inflame comes from Middle English enflaumen. From Middle English inflammen, enflamen, enflaumen (“to set (something) on fire; to be on fire; (figurative) to enrage (someone); to become enraged; to incite (someone) to do evil; to inspire (someone); (medicine) to cause inflammation of (a body part)”), from Old French enflamer, enflammer (“to set (something) on fire, inflame; to be on fire; (figurative) to fuel (a debate, hatred, etc.)”) (modern French enflammer), from Latin inflammāre, the of inflammō (“to set (something) on fire, inflame; (figurative) to excite (someone)”), from in- + flammō (“to set (something) on fire; to be on fire; (figurative) to incite (someone)”) (from flamma (“flame, fire; (figurative) passion”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰel- (“to blaze, burn; to glow, shine; bright flame, fire”)) + -ō). by surface analysis, in- + flame.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

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