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| | The Mavens' Word of the Day (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-05) |
 | | Inflammable and flammable both mean 'capable of being set on fire' or 'easily set on fire', so they're really the same, rather than similar, in meaning. |
 | | In the word inflammable, the prefix in- functions as an intensive-it indicates increased emphasis or force. |
 | | Though the adjective flammable was coined in 1813 in a translation of a Latin text, it was not commonly used until the early 20th century, when the scientific community, the fire-insurance industry and, specifically, the National Fire Protection Association tried to revive the term as an official replacement for the ambiguous inflammable. |
| www.randomhouse.com /wotd/index.pperl?date=20000919 (326 words) |
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