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phlogiston

[ floh-jis-ton, -tuhn ]
/ floʊˈdʒɪs tɒn, -tən /
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See synonyms for: phlogiston / phlogistons on Thesaurus.com
noun
a nonexistent chemical that, prior to the discovery of oxygen, was thought to be released during combustion.
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Origin of phlogiston

1720–30; <New Latin: inflammability, noun use of Greek phlogistón, neuter of phlogistós inflammable, burnt up; see phlogistic

Words nearby phlogiston

Phlm., phloem, phloem necrosis, phloem ray, phlogistic, phlogiston, phlogopite, phlorizin, phloroglucinol, phlox, phlox family
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to phlogiston

blaze, bonfire, heat, inferno, campfire, charring, coals, combustion, conflagration, devouring, element, embers, flames, flare, glow, hearth, holocaust, incandescence, luminosity, oxidation

How to use phlogiston in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for phlogiston

phlogiston
/ (flɒˈdʒɪstɒn, -tən) /
noun
chem a hypothetical substance formerly thought to be present in all combustible materials and to be released during burning

Word Origin for phlogiston

C18: via New Latin from Greek, from phlogizein to set alight; related to phlegein 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

Scientific definitions for phlogiston

phlogiston
[ flō-jĭs′tən ]
A hypothetical colorless, odorless, weightless substance once believed to be the combustible part of all flammable substances and to be given off as flame during burning. In the 18th century, Antoine Lavoisier proved that phlogiston does not exist. See Note at Lavoisier.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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