conflagration
/ˌkɒnfləˈɡreɪʃ(ə)n
/noun
An extensive fire which destroys a great deal of land or property: tinder-dry conditions sparked fears of a conflagration in many drought-devastated communities...
- In the divine realm, fire symbolizes the universal conflagration of the apocalypse which will destroy men's sinful bodies.
- Safety-conscious fire departments across the country are changing their policies, and will no longer risk firefighter lives to protect mere property in these conflagrations.
- These companies encouraged positive precautions to prevent fires by the design and construction of buildings, and to deal rapidly with conflagrations.
Synonyms
fire, blaze, flames, inferno, firestorm, holocaust
Origin
Late 15th century (denoting consumption by fire): from Latin conflagratio(n-), from the verb conflagrare, from con- (expressing intensive force) + flagrare 'to blaze'.
flagrant from Late Middle English:
Early senses of flagrant with meanings such as ‘glorious’ and ‘blazing’ were positive. The word comes from the Latin word flagrare ‘to blaze’, as in conflagration (Late Middle English), and is recorded from the late 15th century. Flamboyant (mid 19th century) and flame (Middle English) itself go back to the same root. The Latin original is also found in the phrase in flagrante (delicto) literally ‘in blazing crime’, and usually used to mean that someone has been caught in bed with someone else's partner.