flare

Etymology

Origin unknown, first recorded in the mid 16th century, probably related to Latin flagrō (“I burn”). Norwegian flara (“to blaze; to flaunt in gaudy attire”) has a similar meaning, but the English word predates it. Possibly related to Middle High German vlederen (“to flutter”), represented by modern German flattern. The noun is derived from the verb.

noun

1. A sudden bright light.
2. A source of brightly burning light or intense heat.
   1. A type of pyrotechnic that produces a brilliant light without an explosion, used to attract attention in an emergency, to illuminate an area, or as a decoy.
      Flares were used to steer the traffic away from the accident.
      The flares attracted the heat-seeking missiles.
      Stowed away in the plane Jack had a signal pistol and several red and green cartridges, but until a search plane appeared the flares would be useless. 1946, Clayton Knight, The Quest of the Golden Condor, New York, N.Y.: Alfred A. Knopf, →OCLC, page 262
      While he was putting on the snowplough, the Whites shot up a flare to see what was happening. It floated above us like a fizzing star at the end of a tiny white petal of a parachute. We threw ourselves down, in between the rails, in there with the dog shit. 2009, James Fleming, chapter 55, in Cold Blood, London: Jonathan Cape; republished London: Vintage Books, 2010, page 262
   2. (oil industry) A flame produced by a burn-off of waste gas (flare gas) from a flare tower (or flare stack), typically at an oil refinery.
      Flare stacks are used in gas plants, petroleum refineries, and petrochemical plants to combust surplus hydrocarbons to produce combustion products that are neither toxic nor combustible. Flares frequently incorporate a liquid-gas separator at the base of the stack and steam assisted burner nozzles at the top of the stack to aid complete combustion. 2013, David Brennan, “Identification of Waste in Utility Systems”, in Sustainable Process Engineering: Concepts, Strategies, Evaluation, and Implementation, Singapore: Pan Stanford Publishing, part B (Strategies), section 6.8 (Flare Stacks), page 122
3. (figurative) A sudden eruption or outbreak; a flare-up.
   Antiinflammatory corticosteroid creams and ointments are prescribed for inflamed or lichenified areas. These creams are more effective when applied to damp skin. The lowest potency that controls signs should be used, and topical steroids are usually reserved for treatment of episodic flares. 2013, Susan Rowen James, Kristine Ann Nelson, Jean Weiler Ashwill, “The Child with Major Alterations in Tissue Integrity”, in Nursing Care of Children: Principle & Practice, 4th edition, St. Louis: Elsevier Saunders, unit IV (Caring for Children with Health Problems), page 631, column 2
4. A widening of an object with an otherwise roughly constant width.
   During assembly of a flare tube fitting, a flare nut is used to secure the flared tubing’s tapered end to the also tapered fitting, producing a pressure-resistant, leak-tight seal.
   That's a genuine early 70's flare on those pants.
   That silhouette which is at present under consideration, the much-talked-of "barrel," appears in a Bulloz suit of rough white woolen material stitched with blue cotton thread; both on the skirt and coat the flare is somewhat lower than is usual with flares. 15 February 1917, “The New York Guide to Fashion’s Course”, in Vogue, volume 49, number 4, New York, N.Y.: The Vogue Company, →OCLC, page 45
   The flare on the inside of the shoe resists ankle pronation; […] 2003, Timothy D[avid] Noakes, Lore of Running, 4th edition, Champaign, Ill.: Human Kinetics, page 270
   1. (nautical) The increase in width of most ship hulls with increasing height above the waterline.
5. (in the plural) Bell-bottom trousers.
   In the early 1970's, a giddy epoch in men's fashion, when denim flares and platform oxfords were the outer edge of style, Giorgio Armani made a suit that stretched. Imbued with spandex, the elastic fiber that gives a fabric extra bounce, the suit was one of the first in a long line of innovations that would eventually make Armani as familiar a brand as Kleenex. 15 September 1991, Ruth La Ferla, “Next weave”, in The New York Times Magazine, archived from the original on 2018-08-20
   As a teenager I hitch-hiked around free rock concerts, wearing flowered shirts and denim flares – jeans that were worn so much, in such rough conditions, and with so little attention to washing and care that after a while they became naturally abraded and frayed in just the manner that is simulated by commerce today. 2012, Daniel Miller, “Why Denim?”, in Consumption and Its Consequences, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, Malden, Mass.: Polity Press, page 94
6. (aviation) The transition from downward flight to level flight just before landing.
   The captain executed the flare perfectly, and we lightly touched down.
   In normal operations, the rate of descent (or sink rate) will be approximately constant as the airplane approaches the runway. The objective of the flare is to reduce the vertical speed to an acceptably low value at the time when contact is made with the ground. […] Typically, the airplane will slow down a little in the flare and the touchdown speed will be about 3 to 5 kt less than the speed at the screen height[…]. 2018, Trevor M. Young, “Approach and Landing”, in Performnce of the Jet Transport Airplane: Analysis Methods, Flight Operations, and Regulations, Hoboken, N.J., Chichester, West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons, section 11.2.2 (Landing Flare), page 285
7. (baseball) A low fly ball that is hit in the region between the infielders and the outfielders.
   Jones hits a little flare to left that falls for a single.
   An observant base runner checks the outfield defense and easily goes from first to third when the batter hits a flare to right field. A base runner who does not observe the depth of the outfield must turn to watch the ball, see it drop, and then run. He probably doesn't make it to third base. 2008, Mark Gola, “Character”, in Baseball’s Sixth Tool: Playing the Mental Game to Get the Competitive Edge, New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill, page 7
8. (American football) A route run by the running back, releasing toward the sideline and then slightly arcing upfield looking for a short pass.
9. (photography) Short for lens flare.
   The defect in question is the flare which frequently arises from the use of compound lenses when there is a very bright object in front, resulting in a ghost-like image of that object being thrown upon the plate. If the image of the object thus duplicated be in focus we designate it a "ghost;" if out of focus we call it "flare." 23 October 1874, “On Certain Defects in Combination Landscape Lenses”, in The British Journal of Photography, volume XXI, number 755, London: Henry Greenwood,[…], →OCLC, page 515, column 1
10. An inflammation such as of tendons (tendonitis) or joints (osteoarthritis).
11. A breakdance move of someone helicoptering his torso on alternating arms.

verb

1. (transitive) To cause to burn; in particular, to burn off excess gas.
   Qatar joined the World Bank's Global Gas Flaring Reduction programme in early 2008, indicating its commitment to reducing the process of flaring the gas found with oil deposits. 2008, “Going Green: The Country is Keen to Increase Its Environmental Credentials”, in The Report: Qatar 2008, [s.l.]: Oxford Business Group, marginal note, page 247
   One time I was working with the Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA) on fueling their fleet, and I was surprised to see them flaring the methane at their wastewater facility. 2013 April, Blair L. Pollock, “Doing New Things”, in Lyle Estill, editor, Small Stories Big Changes: Agents of Change on the Frontlines of Sustainability, Gabriola Island, B.C.: New Society Publishers, page 147
2. (transitive) To cause inflammation; to inflame.
   Trying to draw a breath flared the pressure on his chest into searing agony. 2012, John Fisk, “October Fifth; Saturday”, in Monk’s Hood, [Bloomington, Ind.]: Xlibris, book 2 (Comes the Demon), page 229
   Adequate rest is incorporated into upper extremity training program so as not to flare the joint. 2015, Theresa A. Chiaia, Miho J. Tanaka, Christopher S. Ahmad, “[Acromioclavicular Joint Injuries and Sternoclavicular Joint Injuries] Nonoperative Rehabilitation of Clavicular Fractures”, in Bruce Reider, George J. Davies, Matthew T. Provencher, Orthopaedic Rehabilitation of the Athlete: Getting Back in the Game, Philadelphia, Pa.: Elsevier Saunders, page 383, column 1
3. (transitive, intransitive) To open outward in shape.
   The cat flared its nostrils while sniffing at the air. (transitive)
   The cat’s nostrils flared when it sniffed at the air. (intransitive)
   The building flared from the third through the seventh floors to occupy the airspace over the entrance plaza. (intransitive)
   The sides of a bowl flare. (intransitive)
   We claim as our invention—The rigid parts G and H′, and flexible part H with screws I, for forcibly operating when the parts are flared, as represented, and the strap H is drawn obliquely inward or together at the sides, so as to press all the surface of the bent and flared casket end, as herein set forth. 30 May 1871, Edward T. Smith, Joseph S. Winston, Improvement in Devices for Making Ends of Burial-cases, US Patent 115,536, page 3
   That portion of said wrist eye beyond the pitman forms a cylindrical orifice, e, which, towards its other end, gradually flares outward, as at e′. 20 December 1872, Joseph A. Shephard, Improvement in Pitman Connections, US Patent 140,312, page 2, column 2
   Everywhere one sees the blouse, buttoned up the front to the top of a tight collar, which either flares up suddenly under the ears or droops dejectedly to the shoulders. 1915 May, “What They Wear in Vanity Fair: From Top to Toe of the Parisienne”, in Frank Crowninshield, editor, Vanity Fair, volume 4, number 3, New York, N.Y.: Vanity Fair Publishing Company, →OCLC, page 67, column 3
   Damon's nostrils flared, the only sign of anger he showed. The sign of a professional. 2012, Paula Graves, chapter 13, in Secret Assignment, Don Mills, Ont.: Harlequin Enterprises, page 150
4. (transitive, intransitive, aviation) To (operate an aircraft to) transition from downward flight to level flight just before landing.
   After a brief refueling stop in Fairbanks, Billy continued on to the cabin. As he flared the Huey [a helicopter] to land, he could see Moses running out of the cabin to greet him 2012, Wil Johnson, chapter 6, in Revenge and Restoration, [Bloomington, Ind.]: Xlibris, page 35
   I had one instructor that called and said he had tried everything to solo his student but the guy just couldn't get the picture of what was expected. One time around the airport the student would flare the airplane twenty feet in the air, and the next time around he would fly the nose into the ground. […] He either flared out very high, or didn't flare out at all. 31 May 2013, Steve Grizzle, “As Flight Instructor”, in The 3 ‘P’ Man: Memoirs of a Perfect Life Adventure: A Preacher, a Pilot, and a Police Officer All in One Person, Bloomington, Ind.: iUniverse, pages 71–72
5. (intransitive) To blaze brightly.
   The blast furnace flared in the night.
   And when Slaughter and Pillage begin to tire, / High flareth red Fire! / How he roars and hisses and flashes! / His frenzy soon turns / The proud pile to a mass of grey ashes, […] 1846 June, “Anthologia Germanica, No. XXII. Uhland’s Ballads.”, in The Dublin University Magazine, a Literary and Political Journal, volume XXVII, number CLXII, Dublin: James McGlashan,[…]; London: W[illiam] S[omerville] Orr and Company, →OCLC, page 678
   This phrase was "Flare up!" and it is, even now, a colloquialism in common use. It took its rise in the time of the Reform riots, when Bristol was nearly half burned by the infuriated populace. The flames were said to have flared up in the devoted city. 1850, Charles Mackay, “Popular Follies in Great Cities”, in Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions, volume I, Philadelphia, Pa.: Lindsay and Blackiston, →OCLC, page 218
   Now spent night her watchers spareth, / Now the sun's bright banner flareth, / Now morn's gale day's trump is blowing. 1860, R[obert] W[ilson] Evans, “XV. Christian Battle.”, in Daily Hymns, London: Joseph Masters,[…], →OCLC, page 38
6. (intransitive) To shine out with a sudden and unsteady light; to emit a dazzling or painfully bright light.
   The candle flared in a sudden draught.
   The substance to which all common flames owe their brightness is finely-divided charcoal. […] Of this formation of charcoal the proof is obvious whenever a candle flares and smokes; for the unburnt charcoal soon collects in the upper part of the flame, and if not removed is apt to fall into the cup of the candle, where it forms a kind of second wick, rapidly melting away the tallow, and disfiguring the candle, […] 9 March 1850, “The Candle”, in The Working Man’s Friend, and Family Instructor, volume I, number 10, London: Printed and published by John Cassell,[…], →OCLC, page 302, column 2
7. (intransitive, figurative) To shine out with gaudy colours; to be offensively bright or showy.
   Wealth's golden key displayeth she, / And robes of state she weareth, / And the jewell'd star of high degree, / Fix'd at her bosom flareth. 1850, N. J. H., “To a Sister on Attaining the Age of Twenty-one”, in F[rancis] W[illiam] Newman, editor, A Collection of Poetry for the Practice of Elocution.[…], London: Taylor, Walton, and Maberly,[…], →OCLC, page 32
8. (intransitive, figurative) To suddenly happen or intensify.
   The genius of the poet John Keats] flares up, dies out, and flares again, as if there were a dearth of fuel to feed it; and by this fault, more than any other, he is removed out of the class of great poets, and occupies but the second rank. 1851 October, J[ames] D[avenport] W[helpley], “The ‘Hyperion’ of John Keats”, in The American Whig Review, volume XIII, number LXXXII (volume VIII, number IV (New Series)), New York, N.Y.: Published at 120 Nassau Street; John A. Gray, printer,[…], →OCLC, page 312, column 1
9. (intransitive, figurative) To suddenly erupt in anger.
   [H]e flared up very much when I told him I could not give him the schedule. 1868, “[Sale of Iron-clads.] Testimony. Appendix C.”, in Reports of Committees of the House of Representatives for the Second Session of the Fortieth Congress, 1867–’68 (Report; no. 64), volume 2, Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, →OCLC, page 57
   One of the most heated periods occurred in 1965 when the Forest Service decided forest lands could no longer tolerate unrestricted grazing by livestock, especially hogs. […] Notice went out to local residents, and the following year, 1966, Forest Service personnel began trapping hogs grazing in trespass. Both hog owners and cattlemen were angry. Tempers flared, and so did the fires. The number of incendiary fires increased and it seems reasonable to assume some relationship between the two events. 1981, Sharon M. W. Bass, “Years of Challenge”, in For the Trees: An Illustrated History of the Ozark–St. Francis National Forests, 1908–1978, [Atlanta, Ga.?]: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Region, →OCLC, page 123
10. (intransitive, obsolete) To be exposed to too much light.