Phlogistic
/fləˈdʒɪstɪk/noun
Relating to phlogiston, the obsolete 18th-century theory of a fire-like substance released during combustion.
Did you know?Phlogistic is tied to phlogiston, the now-disproven theory that combustion released an invisible fire-principle, a concept that briefly ruled European science like an alchemical ghost.
Etymological Timeline
Late 17th Century
German
phlogistisch
“Relating to phlogiston or the fire-principle”
Early 18th Century
New Latin
phlogisticus
“Pertaining to the supposed fire-substance in combustible bodies”
18th Century
English
phlogistic
“Relating to phlogiston theory”
Modern English
English
phlogistic
“Relating to phlogiston; now chiefly historical”
Explore more surprising origins