conflagration

American  

[kon-fluh-grey-shuhn] / ˌkɒn fləˈgreɪ ʃən /

noun

1. a destructive fire, usually an extensive one.

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conflagration British  

/ ˌkɒnfləˈɡreɪʃən /

noun

1. a large destructive fire

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Related Words

See flame.

Other Word Forms

• conflagrative adjective

Etymology

Origin of conflagration

First recorded in 1545–55; from Latin conflagrātiōn- (stem of conflagrātiō ), equivalent to conflagrāt(us), past participle of conflagrāre “to burn up”; con- ( def. ), -ate ¹ ( def. ), -ion ( def. ). Latin flagr- of conflagrāre is akin to fulgur “lightning,” flamma ( flame ), Greek phlóx ( phlox )

Example Sentences

“I think this is a small step, but it eases the risk of a great human conflagration,” Petro told reporters at the Colombian Embassy in Washington after the meeting.

From The Wall Street Journal

Resilience, too, is transmitted, as is a desire to preserve the love that wasn’t destroyed in the family conflagration.

From Los Angeles Times

He is sceptical both about the estimated cost of MPs staying in Parliament while the work is completed and suggestions the building is on the brink of a destructive conflagration.

From BBC

Those conflagrations inspired the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Water Act.

From The Wall Street Journal

Among the recipients were educators from Pasadena Unified’s John Muir High School, which was spared from flames but whose staff and students were deeply affected by the conflagration.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• blaze
• bonfire
• inferno
• wildfire