different between oriflamme vs flame

English

Alternative forms

• auriflamme
• oriflamb (obsolete)

Etymology

From Old French oriflambe, oriflamme, from Medieval Latin auriflamma (“golden flame”), from Latin aurum (“gold”) + flamma (“flame”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /????flæm/

Noun

oriflamme (plural oriflammes)

1. (historical) The red silk banner of St Denis, which the abbot of St Denis gave to French kings as they rode to war.
   • 1988, Robert Irwin, The Mysteries of Algiers, Dedalus 1993, p. 58:

     The white banner with the golden lilies of France has been unfurled. The oriflamme has been presented to the virginal bride who stands before the altar in the forest chapel.

2. (figuratively) Any banner, idea or principle which serves as a rallying point for those involved in a struggle.
   • 1963, Anthony Burgess, Inside Mr Enderby:

     Please remember that the vocabulary of our readers isn’t very extensive, so don’t go using words like ‘oriflamme’ or ‘inelectable’.

3. (literary) Something resembling the banner of St Denis; a bright, shining object.
   • 1837 Thomas Carlyle, The French Revolution: A History

     This is that famed Martial law, with its Red Flag, its 'Drapeau Rouge:' in virtue of which Mayor Bailly, or any Mayor, has but henceforth to hang out that new Oriflamme of his; then to read or mumble something about the King's peace; and, after certain pauses, serve any undispersing Assemblage with musket-shot....

   • 1969, Vladimir Nabokov, Ada or Ardor, Penguin 2011, p. 96:

     Lucette trotted into the room with a child's pink, stiff-bagged butterfly-net in her little fist, like an oriflamme.

   • 1992, Moncrieff/Kilmartin/Enright, translating Marcel Proust, Swann's Way, Folio Society 2005, p. 417:

     Open spaces made visible the approach to almost every one of them, or else a splendid mass of foliage stood out before it like an oriflamme.

Translations

French

Etymology

Old French, from Medieval Latin auriflamma (“golden flame”), from Latin aurum (“gold”) + flamma (“flame”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?.?i.flam/

Noun

oriflamme f (plural oriflammes)

1. (historical) oriflamme
2. banner, standard

Further reading

• “oriflamme” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

English

Etymology

From Middle English flawme, flaume, flaumbe, 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; ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *b?l?- (“to shimmer, gleam, shine”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: fl?m, IPA^(key): /fle?m/
• Rhymes: -e?m

Noun

flame (countable and uncountable, plural flames)

1. The visible part of fire; a stream of burning vapour or gas, emitting light and heat.

   • 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 […].
2. A romantic partner or lover in a usually short-lived but passionate affair.
   • 1844, William Makepeace Thackeray, The Luck of Barry Lyndon

     I could copy out yards of rhapsody to Lord George Poynings, her old flame, in which she addressed him by the most affectionate names.

3. (Internet) Intentionally insulting criticism or remark meant to incite anger.
4. A brilliant reddish orange-gold fiery colour.
5. (music, chiefly lutherie) The contrasting light and dark figure seen in wood used for stringed instrument making; the curl.

6. Burning zeal, passion, imagination, excitement, or anger.
   • (Can we find and add a quotation of Coleridge to this entry?)

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Verb

flame (third-person singular simple present flames, present participle flaming, simple past and past participle flamed)

1. To produce flames; to burn with a flame or blaze.
2. To burst forth like flame; to break out in violence of passion; to be kindled with zeal or ardour.
3. (Internet, transitive, intransitive) To post a destructively critical or abusive message (to somebody).

   I flamed him for spamming in my favourite newsgroup.

   • 2019, Steven McCornack & Kelly Morrison, Reflect & Relate, 5th edition

     Because online communication makes it easy to flame, many of us impetuously fire off messages that we later regret.

Derived terms

• flamer
• flaming

Related terms

• flambé

Translations

Adjective

flame (not comparable)

1. Of a brilliant reddish orange-gold colour, like that of a flame.

Translations

See also

• (reds) red; blood red, brick red, burgundy, cardinal, carmine, carnation, cerise, cherry, cherry red, Chinese red, cinnabar, claret, crimson, damask, fire brick, fire engine red, flame, flamingo, fuchsia, garnet, geranium, gules, hot pink, incarnadine, Indian red, magenta, maroon, misty rose, nacarat, oxblood, pillar-box red, pink, Pompeian red, poppy, raspberry, red violet, rose, rouge, ruby, ruddy, salmon, sanguine, scarlet, shocking pink, stammel, strawberry, Turkey red, Venetian red, vermillion, vinaceous, vinous, violet red, wine ^{(Category: en:Reds)}

Anagrams

• femal, fleam

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /flam/
• Homophones: flament, flames

Verb

flame

1. first-person singular present indicative of flamer
2. third-person singular present indicative of flamer
3. first-person singular present subjunctive of flamer
4. third-person singular present subjunctive of flamer
5. second-person singular imperative of flamer

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old French flame.

Noun

flame

1. Alternative form of flawme

Etymology 2

From Old French flamber.

Verb

flame

1. Alternative form of flawmen

Old French

Etymology

From Latin flamma.

Noun

flame f (oblique plural flames, nominative singular flame, nominative plural flames)

1. flame

Derived terms

• enflamer

Descendants

• ? English: flame
• French: flamme

Romanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?flame]

Noun

flame f

1. indefinite plural of flam?
2. indefinite genitive/dative singular of flam?

Walloon

Noun

flame f (plural flames)

1. flame

   Synonym: blame