English is beautiful. I say that as an ESL who speaks Spanish and Italian fluently.
English spelling, and etymology are fascinating and closely related. English spelling often retains the original spelling despite changes in pronunciation.
Inflammable come directly from the Latin where “in” is not a negation but putting something “in” a state of being, in this case flame.
Inflammable means able to be put “in flames”. But most people read “in-“ in this case as a negation, and therefore assume it’s the opposite.
So “flammable” is born and people start using it and thinking the original form is opposite.
But inflammable materials are dangerous to treat otherwise! Since no one confuses “flammable” for inert, for safety reasons, the word “flammable” is used when labeling inflammable material.
The Simpsons made a joke about it once with Dr. Nik.
English spelling, and etymology are fascinating and closely related. English spelling often retains the original spelling despite changes in pronunciation.
Inflammable come directly from the Latin where “in” is not a negation but putting something “in” a state of being, in this case flame.