conflagrate means to catch fire. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 92 out of 100.
conflagrate is pronounced /ˈkɑn.flə.ɡreɪt/.
Why “conflagrate” is a great word
CONFLAGRATE — [Verb] To be wholly consumed, or to wholly consume something, in intense, widespread fire. From Latin cōnflāgrātus, the perfect passive participle of cōnflāgrō ("to be consumed by fire; to set aflame") + the English verb-forming suffix -ate. First attested in 1657. Unlike "ignite" (which suggests the first, controlled spark) or "conflate" (which denotes a quiet blending of ideas), to conflagrate is to unleash a fire’s full, devouring nature. It is the warehouse interior becoming a single, breathing furnace of light; the parched hillside surrendering to a racing, crackling frontier; the city that ceases to be wood and stone and becomes light and heat. It is the precise verb for when a fire decides to become an event.
verb
- To catch fire.
- To set fire to something.