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Glite Dictionary
spontaneous combustion

spontaneous combustion

3 7.8
A fire that starts inside something without an outside flame or heat
  • noun
  • /spɒnˈteɪniəs kəmˈbʌsʧən/
  • Specialized
translation icon : combustión espontánea
  • In some cases, spontaneous combustion has been reported in oil-soaked rags that were left in a pile.
  • cause of spontaneous combustion

Examples

  • I ask myself: some old turpentine-soaked rags in the basement, a lightning strike, a splash of gasoline and a match, a fireplace log rolling across a brick hearth, the hushed breath of spontaneous combustion?

    Fiction book (1998)

  • The risk of spontaneous combustion increases when organic materials decompose and generate heat without proper ventilation.

  • Too much oil can cause spontaneous combustion.

    This Must Be the Place (2011)

  • In purely scientific terms, these mysterious ghost lights are the spontaneous combustion of peat gas.

    Academic text (2002)

  • (Note: some of their experiments went awry as a result of spontaneous combustion).

    Academic text (2000)

  • "Grind-All no longer stores materials in piles higher than 12 feet and doesn't drive on them to compress the material, which reduces the potential for future fires from spontaneous combustion."

    Academic text (1999)

  • Spontaneous combustion can occur in piles of spontaneous combustion if they become too hot from the internal chemical reactions.

Synonyms

ignition
vsspontaneous combustion
24 3.8

Starting a fire or making something begin to burn

is caused internally by a chemical reaction rather than by external heat
kindling
vsspontaneous combustion
4 3.5

The act of starting a fire

happens from internal chemical reaction rather than relying on added fuel or heat

Surface Forms

spontaneous combustion singular
spontaneous combustions plural

Morphology

spontaneous + combustion

The meaning 'ignition without an external heat source' follows directly from combining 'spontaneous' (occurring without external influence) with 'combustion' (chemical burning/ignition). This is a literal, compositional phrase and the same logic appears in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Spontaneous combustion comes from the idea of something burning by itself: spontaneous means happening without being started and combustion means burning. Piles of oily rags or hay can heat inside and suddenly 'catch fire', so the phrase now means a fire that begins from inside an object.