flash point
1
7.5
- noun
- /flæʃ pɔɪnt/
- Specialized
:
punto de inflamación
- In the wider context, Mr. Allam's conversion will serve as a flash point in the current context of deteriorating Islamic-Roman Catholic Church relations.
- a low flash point
Examples
-
"Edginess, increased frustration and irritability, overreaction to small things, general sense of anger, low" flash point.
Academic text (1991) -
This process may culminate in a steam blast if water at shallow depths is heated to its flash point.
Academic text (2002) -
Most essential oils have a low flash point, so they will burn away rapidly when you heat the pouch.
Blog text (15) -
2-Isopar M, a solvent with a relatively high flash point, is manufactured by Humble Oil Refining Co.
Academic text (1990) -
Many safety regulations specify that flammable liquids must have a flash point above 60°C.
-
The technician warned us that the chemical had a low flash point, making it hazardous when heated.
-
Understanding the flash point of a solvent is crucial for ensuring safe storage and handling.
Synonyms
1
7.7
The lowest temperature when a flammable liquid gives off enough vapor to catch fire
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a critical or sudden moment when a situation could escalate' is directly built from 'flash' (a very short, sudden instant) + 'point' (a specific moment or stage), so the composite meaning is predictable from the constituents. This compositional pattern is common cross-linguistically (e.g. equivalents like 'punto crítico'/'point de basculement') and a B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer the idiomatic sense.
Etymology
The term flash point comes from a simple image: heat a liquid until its gas makes a small flash of flame at the exact point when it can catch fire. So, it means the temperature at which the liquid will 'ignite'.