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DictionaryflameVisible fire
noun / verb

flame

FLAYM/fleɪm/

A brightly visible tongue of burning gas.

A small flame flickers at the tip of the candlewick.

Close detailed candle flame with blue base and golden glowing tip, candle wick visible, no text.
Etymology
flameLatinsmall flame

The ancestor meant “small flame,” a diminutive of the Latin word for blazing fire. English keeps the literal sense of the visible, burning part of a fire.

In context

OldTown Coleman14:07
what happens when we get mantles burning in there and you'll see the difference of what's coming out of the generator okay you see that i have a nice low flame
How a Coleman Lamp, Lantern and Stove Works - Part 2 - Theory of Operation From Gas to Gas

More examples

  • She turns down the flame under the soup.
  • Flames rise above the dry branches.
  • The logs flame brightly in the fireplace.

Forms

flame · flames · flamed · flaming

flameless adjective — Producing no visible tongue of fire.

Similar words

fire
The burning process as a whole, not just visible gas.
blaze
A large, strong fire rather than one tongue of fire.