On Fri, 21 Mar 2003, Casey Rousseau wrote: #"Historically, *flammable* and *inflammable* mean the same thing. However, #the presence of the prefix in- has misled many people into assuming that #*inflammable* means 'not flammable' or 'noncombustible.' In the #circumstances, it is therfore advisable to use only *flammable* in contexts #imparting warnings or on product labels, where a misinterpretation might #have more serious consequences for the reader than an etymological mistake #would deserve." # #Then again, it seems to me that the editors of the American Heritage have an #awfully low estimation of the consequences that should be expected from an #etymological mistake! Oh, no, no, not the lexicographers. Fire safety officials and insurance companies. Believe it. The word "flammable" does, I believe, go back further, but I'm pretty sure this is fact. -- Mark M.