different between phlegm vs flame

English

Etymology

From Middle English flewme, fleume, fleme, from Old French fleume, Middle French flemme (French flegme), and their source, Latin phlegma, from Ancient Greek ?????? (phlégma, “flame; inflammation; clammy humor in the body”), from ??????? (phlégein, “to burn”). Compare phlox, flagrant, flame, bleak (adjective), fulminate. Spelling later altered to resemble the word's Latin and Greek roots.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /fl?m/
• Rhymes: -?m

Noun

phlegm (usually uncountable, plural phlegms)

1. (historical) One of the four humors making up the body in ancient and mediaeval medicine; said to be cold and moist, and often identified with mucus. [from 13th c.]
   • 1993, William Dalrymple, City of Djinns, HarperCollins 1993:

     Each person's unique mixture of these substances determines his temperament: a predominance of blood gives a sanguine temperament; a predominance of phlegm makes one phlegmatic; yellow bile, bilious (or choleric); and black bile, melancholic.

2. Viscid mucus produced by the body, later especially mucus expelled from the bronchial passages by coughing. [from 14th c.]
   • 2005, "Endangered Species?" Hannah Beech, Time, 14 Nov 2005:

     "Even some members of the new bourgeoisie indulge in conspicuously boorish behavior, like hawking phlegm onto the pavement or picking their noses at business meetings."

4. (historical, chemistry, alchemy) A watery distillation, especially one obtained from plant matter; an aqueous solution. [from 16th c.]
   • 1812, Humphry Davy, The Elements of Chemical Philosophy, Introduction, Part I. Vol. I, pp. 50-51:

     The attempts made to analyse vegetable substances previous to 1720, merely produced their resolution into the supposed elements of the chemists of those days, namely, salts, Earths, phlegm, and sulphur.

5. Calmness of temperament, composure; also seen negatively, sluggishness, indifference. [from 16th c.]
   • 1942, "Warning to Sweden", Time, 5 Oct 1942:

     But Swedish Nazis also talked of the necessity of saving Sweden from Bolshevism, and with the menacing Berlin radio gnawing in their ears many Swedes lost their Scandinavian phlegm.

Related terms

• phlegmatic

Derived terms

• phlegmish
• phlegmy

Translations

References

• Douglas Harper (2001–2021) , “phlegm”, in Online Etymology Dictionary
• “phlegm” in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.

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