spontaneous combustion

American  

noun

1. the ignition of a substance or body from the rapid oxidation of its own constituents without heat from any external source.

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spontaneous combustion British  

noun

1. the ignition of a substance or body as a result of internal oxidation processes, without the application of an external source of heat, occurring in finely powdered ores, coal, straw, etc

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spontaneous combustion Scientific  

1. The bursting into flame of a mass of material as a result of chemical reactions within the substance, without the addition of heat from an external source. Oily rags and damp hay, for example, are subject to spontaneous combustion.

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spontaneous combustion Cultural  

1. A process by which a collection of materials (such as oily rags) catches fire without the application of heat from outside. The oxidation of substances in the materials starts the fire.

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Etymology

Origin of spontaneous combustion

First recorded in 1800–10

Example Sentences

Spontaneous combustion of hay sheds on very hot days is not unheard of, and horse manure, when dried, is basically compacted, smelly hay.

From The Guardian • Dec. 18, 2019

Spontaneous combustion is not a useful response to a perceived threat or slight.

From New York Times • Jan. 6, 2018

Spontaneous combustion ignited the insecticide, blew the roof off the house, knocked in one wall, causing the first floor to cave in.

From Time Magazine Archive

"Spontaneous combustion" nearly fitted the state of mind he disclosed to me.

From The House of the Misty Star A Romance of Youth and Hope and Love in Old Japan by Little, Frances, [pseud.]

Spontaneous combustion is at present very little understood, though chemists have of late turned their attention to the subject.

From Fires and Firemen: from the Eclectic Magazine of Foreign Literature, Science and Art, Vol XXXV No. 1, May 1855 by Anonymous