Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion INFLAMMABLE--FLAMMABLE

THIS IS A BRASS STENCIL THAT WAS APPLIED TO SHELLANE BOTTLES.DOES ANYONE KNOW WHEN THE TERM "INFLAMMABLE" WAS DROPPED IN FAVOR OF "FLAMMABLE"??ALSO "WHY"?? SINCE BOTH WORDS MEAN THE SAME.

Your right, Flammable = Inflammable aka: Combustible = Ignitable = Explosive = Burnable etc all are the same. I never realized this before you posted this question.

I am guessing this was changed because in the common United States English language most things that start with “In” “Ig” “Dis” or “Un” mean the opposite so this might have been confusing:

Incapable = Unable
Capable = Able

Ignoble = Dishonorable
Noble = Honorable

Disloyal = Unfaithful
Loyal = Faithful


Travis E. Towle
Topeka, Kansas

785-357-1004

I THINK YOU ARE RIGHT TRAVIS--THE"IN" PART COULD BE VIEWED AS A NEGATIVE-THUS IT COULD BE CONFUSING.

ask POGO or DODO

I've also seen it spelled imflammable.

Does anyone remember seeing products that were advertised as non-imflammable or non-inflammable?

Yes, (non-inflammable)on spot remover. I think I've also seen it on other cleaning compounds.
I was maybe 6 or 7 when I saw a fuel oil truck with inflammable on its warning sign and thought it was very stupid. Why wouldn't you want your fuel oil to burn?
A lot of fires must have happened over the years caused by people who thought in = negative.
Wasn't imflammable a Britishism?

don't they still use that term in Canada?

I've seen this discussion elswhere, and dont remember where. Actually, INflammable is the correct term, but our language makes it confusing, as Travis pointed out. Infammable, according to Wikipedia:

The word "inflammable" came from Latin inflammâre = "to set fire to", where the prefix in- means "in" as in "inside" (compare English "in flames"). But there have been instances of people thinking that this "in-" prefix means "not" as in "invisible" and "incombustible" etc, and thus wrongly thinking that "inflammable" means "cannot burn". To avoid this safety hazard, the shortened word "flammable" has come into use in recent years.

That is one cool stencil!!! I like it, I like it alot.
Mike

A BETTER SHOT OF THE BRASS SHELLANE STENCIL.OBVIOUSLY SHELL WAS VERY PROTECTIVE OF THE NAME "SHELLANE"--ACCORDING TO THE WARNING ON THE BOTTOM!

THIS SIGN WAS HANGING ON AN OLD HARDWARE STORE IN SW.IOWA.I HAVE HAD IT FOR ABOUT 20 YEARS>

I read somewhere that many years ago this word confusion caused industry safety experts to unite and encourage companies to only use the word flammable because so many mistook the meaning of inflammable. I believe it was around WWII. So you seldom, if ever, see modern use of the word inflammable.

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Jim "Oldgas" Potts
Your host and moderator

Just another example of English being so difficult. I don't mean to pour any "inflammatory" comments on here, especially if some has an "inflammation" of an open wound!

I can't even spell my own joke right!

[This message has been edited by Daveb (edited 11-19-2007).]

gee,i thought in those days people had"common sense"such as "do not use cigeratte lighter to check gas tank level"nowadays there are more warning labels on stuff than you know what to do with!

Most people can't read it unless it's mispeled ! LOL