Meanings
plural phlogistons
- historicaluncountableusuallychemistryThe hypothetical fiery principle formerly assumed to be a necessary constituent of combustible bodies and to be given up by them in burning.
Stahl argued that phlogiston could explain combustion, a central concern of eighteenth-century chemistry.
2006, Philip Ball, The Devil's Doctor, Arrow 2007, page 3971 more example
[…] air was universally reputed to be a simple or elementary body. It was liable, according to the phlogistians, to vitiation, by the addition to it of phlogiston[…] being more or less phlogisticated, according to the degree of its power to support respiration and combustion.
1810, George Wilson, M.D., F.R.D.E., “General Sketch of Cavendish's Scientific Researches and Discoveries”, in The Life of the Honᵇˡᵉ Henry Cavendish, page 39
Origin
- Ancient Greekφλογιστόν
- New Latinphlogiston
- Englishphlogiston
From New Latin phlogiston, coined by Georg Ernst Stahl in 1702, from Ancient Greek φλογιστόν (phlogistón), neuter of φλογιστός (phlogistós, “burnt up, inflammable”), from φλογίζω (phlogízō, “to set fire to”), from φλόξ (phlóx, “flame”).
More words from New Latin, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian флогисто́н
- флогисто́н (flogistón)hypothetical fiery principle
Chinese Mandarin 燃素
- 燃素 (ránsù)hypothetical fiery principle
Czech flogiston
- flogistonhypothetical fiery principle
Dutch flogiston
- flogistonhypothetical fiery principle
Finnish flogiston
- flogistonhypothetical fiery principle
French phlogistique
- phlogistiquehypothetical fiery principle
German Phlogiston, Caloricum
- Phlogistonhypothetical fiery principle
- Caloricumhypothetical fiery principle
Hebrew פלוגיסטון
- פלוגיסטון (flogistón)hypothetical fiery principle
Hungarian flogiszton
- flogisztonhypothetical fiery principle
Italian flogisto
- flogistohypothetical fiery principle
Japanese フロギストン, 燃素
- フロギストン (furogisuton)hypothetical fiery principle
- 燃素 (nenso)hypothetical fiery principle
Korean 플로지스톤
- 플로지스톤 (peullojiseuton)hypothetical fiery principle
Norwegian Bokmål flogiston
- flogistonhypothetical fiery principle
Polish flogiston
- flogistonhypothetical fiery principle
Portuguese flogisto, flogístico
- flogistohypothetical fiery principle
- flogísticohypothetical fiery principle
Russian флогисто́н
- флогисто́н (flogistón)hypothetical fiery principle
Slovak flogistón
- flogistónhypothetical fiery principle
Spanish flogisto
- flogistohypothetical fiery principle
Swedish flogiston
- flogistonhypothetical fiery principle
Ukrainian флогістон
- флогістон (flohiston)hypothetical fiery principle
Cite this entry
phlogiston. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/phlogiston
“phlogiston.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/phlogiston. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “phlogiston,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/phlogiston.
Source: phlogiston on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.