dephlogisticate (v.)
"deprive of phlogiston," the formerly supposed principle of inflammability, 1775; see de- + phlogiston + -ate (2). Related: Dephlogisticated; dephlogisticating; dephlogistication.
Entries linking to dephlogisticate
active word-forming element in English and in many verbs inherited from French and Latin, from Latin de "down, down from, from, off; concerning" (see de), also used as a prefix in Latin, usually meaning "down, off, away, from among, down from," but also "down to the bottom, totally" hence "completely" (intensive or completive), which is its sense in many English words.
As a Latin prefix it also had the function of undoing or reversing a verb's action, and hence it came to be used as a pure privative — "not, do the opposite of, undo" — which is its primary function as a living prefix in English, as in defrost (1895), defuse (1943), de-escalate (1964), etc. In some cases, a reduced form of dis-.
1730, hypothetical inflammatory principle, formerly believed to exist in all combustible matter, from Modern Latin (1702), from Greek phlogiston (1610s in this sense), neuter of phlogistos "burnt up, inflammable," from phlogizein "to set on fire, burn," from phlox (genitive phlogos) "flame, blaze" (from PIE root *bhel- (1) "to shine, flash, burn"). The theory was propounded by Stahl (1702), denied by Lavoisier (1775), defended by Priestley, but generally abandoned by 1800. Related: Phlogistic; phlogisticated.
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updated on July 25, 2018
Dictionary entries near dephlogisticate
dependence
dependencies
dependency
dependent
depersonalization
dephlogisticate
depict
depiction
depilate
depilation
depilatory