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flamme

Etymology and origin of the French word flamme

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
second half of the 10th century, Vie de saint Léger (flamma)
Inherited from
Latin flamma via Old French
Ultimate origin
Latin (flamma)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin flamma
French flamme
Latin flammula
English flamboyant

Pronunciation

Forms

flamme f (plural flammes)[1] Flamma (10th century), flame (Old and Middle French); flamme from the 12th century.[2][1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French flame, inherited from Latin flamma (“flame, fire”), used literally and figuratively.[3][4][5][1][6] Rey explains the Latin word as an expressive formation from “flag-ma”, related to flagrō (“to burn”) and fulgur (“lightning”), from an Indo-European root meaning “to shine”.[4][7] English flame comes from Old French.[1]

Cognate with Italian fiamma, Catalan flama and Spanish llama.[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Vie de saint Léger (second half of the 10th century) uses it of the visible part of a fire.[3][4]

Semantic evolution

Chrétien de Troyes (1176–1181) uses it as a metaphor for a consuming passion, and also from the early 17th century flamme alone means love.[3][4] Être tout feu tout flamme expresses ardent enthusiasm (1580 for the sense “ardour”).[4][2] The plural is a fire, a conflagration (1617), and the stake (1690).[4]

From the wavy shape it named a long pennant (about 1210), still used at sea, and a flame-shaped ornament (1690).[3][4] The compound oriflamme was the banner of Saint-Denis and the French kings.[8]

Timeline

  • second half of the 10th century – Flamma (Saint Léger).[3][5]
  • 1176–1181 – Metaphor for passion (Chrétien).[3]
  • c. 1210 – A long pennant.[3][4]
  • 1580 – “Ardour” (Montaigne).[2][4]
  • early 17th century – “Love”.[3][4]
  • 1690 – An ornament (Furetière).[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A flame[7][1]; (plural) fire: en flammes.[7][1]
  2. (figurative) Ardour, enthusiasm; brilliance.[7][1]
  3. (classical, literary) Love, passion.[3][4]
  4. (nautical) A long narrow pennant, a streamer.[1][3]

Word family

  • enflammer
  • flamber
  • flambeau
  • oriflamme

Usage notes

A second flamme, a veterinary lancet, comes from Old French flieme, from Latin phlebotomus, altered after the first.[5][8][1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 3, 599b
  7. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  8. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Flamme.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/flamme. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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