embrasement
blaze
Definition & meaning
Embrasement is a masculine French noun: un embrasement.
It has several related meanings:
-
A blaze or conflagration: the act or state of something catching fire and burning intensely.
- L’embrasement de la forêt — the forest catching fire or being engulfed in flames.
-
A sudden outbreak or flare-up in a figurative sense, especially involving violence, conflict, or social unrest.
- L’embrasement du conflit — the escalation or spread of the conflict.
- Un embrasement de la région — widespread unrest or fighting throughout the region.
-
A sudden intensification of emotion or activity, such as excitement, anger, or enthusiasm. This use is less common and depends on context.
The word often suggests something that spreads rapidly and becomes difficult to control.
Grammar & Word origin
- Gender: masculine
- Singular: un embrasement
- Plural: des embrasements
- Pronunciation: /ɑ̃.bʁaz.mɑ̃/
The word is formed from the verb embraser (“to set fire to,” “to inflame”) and the suffix -ment , which forms nouns describing an action or result.
Embraser is related to braise (“embers” or “glowing charcoal”), with the prefix en- conveying the idea of putting into or causing a state.
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonyms
- incendie — a fire or conflagration; more concrete and directly refers to a fire.
- feu — fire; more general and neutral than embrasement.
- conflagration — a large, destructive fire; more formal and strongly associated with destruction.
- escalade — escalation, especially of a conflict; focuses on increasing intensity rather than the spread suggested by embrasement.
- enflammement — inflammation or the process of becoming inflamed; can be literal or figurative, but is less common in everyday language.
- soulèvement — uprising or revolt; refers specifically to collective resistance or rebellion.
Antonyms
- extinction — extinguishing or dying out, especially of a fire; the clearest opposite in the literal sense.
- apaisement — calming or de-escalation; the opposite in the context of conflict or unrest.
- calme — calm or tranquility; contrasts with the sudden intensity of an embrasement.
- refroidissement — cooling or a reduction in intensity; often used figuratively for relations or tensions.
Common phrases & collocations
- un embrasement général [?](vocabuo://word/embrasement général) — a general conflagration or widespread outbreak
- un embrasement soudain [?](vocabuo://word/embrasement soudain) — a sudden flare-up
- l’embrasement d’une région [?](vocabuo://word/embrasement d’une région) — the outbreak or spread of violence across a region
- l’embrasement du conflit [?](vocabuo://word/embrasement du conflit) — the escalation of a conflict
- éviter l’embrasement [?](vocabuo://word/éviter l’embrasement) — to prevent a flare-up or escalation
- provoquer un embrasement [?](vocabuo://word/provoquer un embrasement) — to cause a conflagration or trigger widespread unrest
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Examples
L’embrasement a surpris tout le village.noun
The blaze surprised the whole village.
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