Adjacent Words

flame tree definitions

	Tweet

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a terrestrial evergreen shrub or small tree of western Australia having brilliant yellow-orange flowers; parasitic on roots of grasses [syn: flame tree, fire tree, Christmas tree, Nuytsia floribunda]
2: showy tropical tree or shrub native to Madagascar; widely planted in tropical regions for its immense racemes of scarlet and orange flowers; sometimes placed in genus Poinciana [syn: royal poinciana, flamboyant, flame tree, peacock flower, Delonix regia, Poinciana regia]
3: north Australian tree having white flowers and broad leaves [syn: flame tree, broad-leaved bottletree, Brachychiton australis]
4: south Australian tree having panicles of brilliant scarlet flowers [syn: flame tree, flame durrajong, Brachychiton acerifolius, Sterculia acerifolia]
5: tropical American thorny shrub or small tree; fragrant yellow flowers used in making perfumery [syn: huisache, cassie, mimosa bush, sweet wattle, sweet acacia, scented wattle, flame tree, Acacia farnesiana]

Merriam Webster's

noun Date: 1860 any of several trees or shrubs with showy scarlet or yellow flowers: as a. a tree (Brachychiton acerifolium of the family Sterculiaceae) of southern Australia with panicles of brilliant scarlet flowers b. royal poinciana

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Flame Flame (fl[=a]m), n. [OE. flame, flaume, flaumbe, OF. flame, flambe, F. flamme, fr. L. flamma, fr. flamma, fr. flagrare to burn. See Flagrant, and cf. Flamneau, Flamingo.] 1. A stream of burning vapor or gas, emitting light and heat; darting or streaming fire; a blaze; a fire. 2. Burning zeal or passion; elevated and noble enthusiasm; glowing imagination; passionate excitement or anger. ``In a flame of zeal severe.'' --Milton. Where flames refin'd in breasts seraphic glow. --Pope. Smit with the love of sister arts we came, And met congenial, mingling flame with flame. --Pope. 3. Ardor of affection; the passion of love. --Coleridge. 4. A person beloved; a sweetheart. --Thackeray. Syn: Blaze; brightness; ardor. See Blaze. Flame bridge, a bridge wall. See Bridge, n., 5. Flame color, brilliant orange or yellow. --B. Jonson. Flame engine, an early name for the gas engine. Flame manometer, an instrument, invented by Koenig, to obtain graphic representation of the action of the human vocal organs. See Manometer. Flame reaction (Chem.), a method of testing for the presence of certain elements by the characteristic color imparted to a flame; as, sodium colors a flame yellow, potassium violet, lithium crimson, boracic acid green, etc. Cf. Spectrum analysis, under Spectrum. Flame tree (Bot.), a tree with showy scarlet flowers, as the Rhododendron arboreum in India, and the Brachychiton acerifolium of Australia.