• enPR: flām, IPA: /fleɪm/

flame

1. The visible part of fire; a stream of burning vapour or gas, emitting light and heat.
   • 1907, Robert William Chambers, chapter III, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, OCLC 24962326 ↗:

     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.
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.

   The cello has a two-piece back with a beautiful narrow flame.

6. Burning zeal, passion, imagination, excitement, or anger.
   • 1667, John Milton, “Book 5”, in Paradise Lost. A Poem Written in Ten Books, London: Printed [by Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […] [a]nd by Robert Boulter […] [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], OCLC 228722708 ↗; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: The Text Exactly Reproduced from the First Edition of 1667: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, OCLC 230729554 ↗:

     in a flame of zeal severe

   • 1717, Alexander Pope, Eloisa to Abelard:

     where flames refin'd in breasts seraphic glow

• flamboyant
• flamingo
• flammable
• oriflamme
• phlegm
• phlogiston
• phlogopite
• phlox

• French: flamme
• German: Flamme, Lohe
• Italian: fiamma
• Portuguese: chama, flama
• Russian: пла́мя
• Spanish: flama, llama

• German: Flamme
• Italian: fiamma
• Russian: страсть

• French: polémique
• Italian: flame
• Russian: флейм

flame (flames, present participle flaming; past and past participle flamed)

1. To produce flames; to burn with a flame or blaze.
   • c. 1608–1609, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Coriolanus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358 ↗, [Act IV, scene iii]:

     The main blaze of it is past, but a small thing would make it flame again.

2. To burst forth like flame; to break out in violence of passion; to be kindled with zeal or ardour.
   • 18, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter 2, in The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume (please specify ), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, OCLC 1069526323 ↗:

3. (Internet, ambitransitive) 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.

• flambé

• Italian: fiammeggiare, infiammare
• Portuguese: inflamar
• Russian: пыла́ть

• German: anmachen
• Russian: фле́ймить

flame (not comparable)

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