deflagration

/ˌdɛfləˈɡɹeɪʃən/

Etymology

From Latin dēflagrātiō, from dēflagrāre.

Why this word is great

DEFLAGRATION — [Noun] The act of burning rapidly with intense heat and light, specifically combustion that spreads subsonically via thermal conduction. From Latin dēflagrātiō, from dēflagrāre ("to burn down"), combining de- ("down") and flagrāre ("to burn"). Unlike "detonation" (which implies supersonic combustion with a shock wave) or "conflagration" (which suggests a large, destructive fire generally), deflagration is the quiet, methodical cousin of explosive violence—a fire that consumes rather than shatters. It is the blue-white lick of a gas stove, the steady devouring of a matchstick, or the silent, radiant hunger of a magnesium ribbon in air—a reminder that destruction can be methodical, even beautiful, in its precision.

noun

The act of deflagrating; an intense fire; a conflagration or explosion. Specifically, combustion that spreads subsonically via thermal conduction.“If, for example, the mixture of oxygen and hydrogen was twenty volumes, and three volumes of oxygen remained after the deflagration, the mixture consisted of six volumes of hydrogen and six volumes of oxygen.”