Deflagrate

//ˈdɛfləɡɹeɪt// verb

verb ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    To burn with intense light and heat.
  2. 2
    burn with great heat and intense light wordnet
  3. 3
    To burn with intense light and heat.; Specifically, to combust subsonically through thermal conduction.
  4. 4
    cause to burn rapidly and with great intensity wordnet

Etymology

First attested in 1727; borrowed from Latin dēflagrātus, perfect passive participle of Latin dēflagrō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from dē- + flagrō (“to burn”).

Related phrases

deflagrating spoon

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.