flammo

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈfɫam.moː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈflam.mo]^[1]

Forms

flammō (present infinitive flammāre, perfect active flammāvī, supine flammātum); first conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is from flamma “flame” with the verb suffix -ō.^[2][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is from Cicero, of setting something ablaze.^[2] Köbler dates Cicero 81–43 BC.^[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant to set ablaze, make glow, as in Cicero, and figuratively to inflame a person with love, fury or ardour, as in Virgil.^[2] Intransitively, mostly in the present participle flammāns, it meant to flame, blaze, and Lewis & Short call this use poetic.^[2][5]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to burn with passion or eagerness.^[6] It survives in Italian fiammare.^[1]

Timeline

• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it.^[2][4]
• 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it of inflaming emotion.^[2][4]

Meanings

Verb

1. To set ablaze, make glow.^[2]
2. To inflame, excite.^[2]
3. (intransitive) To flame, blaze.^[5]

Word family

• conflammo
• dēflammō
• efflammans
• flammatrix
• flammātus
• flammescō
• flammidus
• īnflammō
• sufflammo
• flammābundus
• flammāns

Related words

• flamma
• flagrō

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
4. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson