Flammable & Inflammable
Irene wrote that only
recently had she learned that flammable and inflammable are synonyms, not
antonyms. Previously, she thought that flammable referred to something that
would burn, and that inflammable referred to something that would not
burn. She took the in- prefix to mean
not. The problem is that this prefix has three diverse meanings, so context or
a dictionary must be used to know which one is in play.
First, it can mean not.
This occurs in words such as insane, inanimate, and insincere.
Second, it can mean inside
or within. Examples are inbred, inset, and inhabit.
Third, it can be an
intensifier: invaluable, incandescent, and intoxication.
A complication is that the
prefix in- can change its spelling to
il- (illuminate), im- (impossible), or ir- (irrigation).
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