Phlogiston

Pronunciation

• IPA: /flÉ™(ÊŠ)ˈdʒɪstÉ’n/

Origin

From Late Latin phlogiston, coined by Georg Ernst Stahl in 1702, from Ancient Greek φλογιστόν, neuter of φλογιστός (phlogistos, "inflammable"), from φλογίζω (phlogizō, "to set fire to"), from φλόξ (phloks, "flame").

Full definition of phlogiston

Noun

1. (chemistry, historical) The hypothetical fiery principle formerly assumed to be a necessary constituent of combustible bodies and to be given up by them in burning.
• 2006, Philip Ball, The Devil's Doctor, Arrow 2007, p. 397:Stahl argued that phlogiston could explain combustion, a central concern of eighteenth-century chemistry.

Related terms

• dephlogisticated air