Flame Meaning
/fleɪm/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounThe visible part of fire; a stream of burning vapour or gas, emitting light and heat.
nounA romantic partner or lover in a usually short-lived but passionate affair.
Sentence Examples
Turn the flame down low.
The candle's flame is flickering in the soft breeze.
The tiny yellow flame of a match
CEFR Practice Quiz
The small candle's ____ flickered gently, casting dancing shadows on the wall.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He carefully blew out the small ____ of the candle before leaving the dark room.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English flawme, blend of Old French flame and flambe, flamble, the first from Latin flamma, the second from Latin flammula, diminutive of flamma, both from pre-Latin *fladma; Proto-Italic *flagmā, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- (“to shimmer, gleam, shine”). Displaced native Old English līeġ.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Long after his cigar burnt bitter, he sat with eyes fixed on the blaze. When the flames at last began to flicker and subside, his lids fluttered, then drooped; but he had lost all reckoning of time when he opened them again to find Miss Erroll in furs and ball-gown kneeling on the hearth[…]."
— 1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter III, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:
"The flames will then be joined together next week at Stoke Mandeville in Buckinghamshire, the home of the Paralympics, and the united flame will make its final journey to London for the opening of the 14th Paralympic Games next Wednesday."
— 2012 August 21, Alexandra Topping, “Paralympic flames light up countdown to biggest Games in history”, in The Guardian:
"Energy has seldom been found where we need it when we want it. Ancient nomads, wishing to ward off the evening chill and enjoy a meal around a campfire, had to collect wood and then spend time and effort coaxing the heat of friction out from between sticks to kindle a flame."
— 2013 July-August, Henry Petroski, “Geothermal Energy”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 4:
"I could copy out yards of rhapsody to Lord George Poynings, her old flame, in which she addressed him by the most affectionate names."
— 1844 January–December, W[illiam] M[akepeace] Thackeray, “Conclusion”, in “The Memoirs of Barry Lyndon, Esq. [The Luck of Barry Lyndon.]”, in Miscellanies: Prose and Verse, volume III, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1856, →OCLC:
"Flames are, unfortunately, a fact of USENET life. It's a rare USENET regular who hasn't been shaken to the foundations with anger at something some jerk has posted."
— 1995, Paul McFedries, The Complete Idiot's Guide to USENET Newsgroups, Alpha Books, →ISBN, page 39:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The small candle's ____ flickered gently, casting dancing shadows on the wall.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He carefully blew out the small ____ of the candle before leaving the dark room.