Combustible
/kəmˈbʌs.tə.bəl/noun
Able to catch fire and burn.
Did you know?It comes from Latin words used for burning something completely, and its root also lives in English words like bust, burst, and debris — all carrying the energy of breaking apart.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
combustibilis
“capable of being burned”
Late Latin
Latin
combūstus
“burned up, consumed by fire”
Latin
Latin
com- + combūrere
“to burn completely; to burn up”
Old French
Old French
combustible
“combustible, burnable”
Middle English
English
combustible
“capable of being burned”
Modern English
English
combustible
“able to catch fire and burn”