deflagrate

[ def-luh-greyt ]

/ ˈdɛf ləˌgreɪt /

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verb (used with or without object), def·la·grat·ed, def·la·grat·ing.

to burn, especially suddenly and violently.

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Origin of deflagrate

1720–30; <Latin dēflagrātus (past participle of dēflagrāre to burn down), equivalent to dē-de- + flagr(āre) to burn + -ātus-ate¹

OTHER WORDS FROM deflagrate

def·la·gra·ble, adjectivedef·la·gra·bil·i·ty, noundef·la·gra·tion, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use deflagrate in a sentence

Gunpowder is exploded by deflagration, by means of a fuze, and exerts a comparatively slow and rending force.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Slice 1|Various
It was during this period of deflagration and dry rot that the Eastern owners of the railroad lost heart.
The Taming of Red Butte Western|Francis Lynde
The case is the same when this Salt is alkalizated by deflagration.
Elements of the Theory and Practice of Chymistry, 5th ed.|Pierre Joseph Macquer
The story of the prints and their deflagration may be true, but it is very questionable if they were for royal use.
The History of Prostitution|William W. Sanger

The thin wires are stretched between the balls, and the lower one is in course of deflagration.
The Boy's Playbook of Science|John Henry Pepper

British Dictionary definitions for deflagrate

deflagrate

/ (ˈdɛfləˌɡreɪt, ˈdiː-) /

verb

to burn or cause to burn with great heat and light

Derived forms of deflagrate

deflagration, noun

Word Origin for deflagrate

C18: from Latin dēflagrāre, from de- + flagrāre to burn

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012