Where does “aflame” come from?
Aflame comes from English a and flame, where the prefix a derives from English and, which comes from Latin ad- and Latin ad, ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European h₂epo and Proto-Indo-European al-.
aflame (English): in flames, on fire, flaming, with flames coming...
Definitions
- in flames, on fire, flaming, with flames coming...
Ancestry of “aflame”, step by step
aflame traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English flame
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | flame | The visible part of fire; a stream of burning... |
| 2 | Middle English | flawme | A flame; a visible tongue of gas and vapour... |
| 3 | Middle English | flaume | Alternative form of flawme; Alternative form of... |
| 4 | Old French | flamble | — |
| 5 | Latin | flammula | a little flame |
| 6 | Latin | flamma | flame, fire |
| 7 | Latin | flāgrāre | — |
| 8 | Latin | frāgrō | to emit a smell of, to smell of, to be redolent of, to reek of |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | frāgrāō | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰreh₂gro- | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰreh₂g- | to smell |
via Middle English a-flame
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | a-flame | — |