Prone to burning; easily set on fire; having a tendency toward combustion or inflammation.
From Latin 'combustus' plus the suffix '-ious' (from Latin '-iosus,' indicating a quality or characteristic). This is a less common variant of 'combustible' emphasizing tendency rather than mere capability.
A 'combustious' person in old literature meant someone with a fiery temperament—quick to anger, passionate, explosive in emotion. Language borrowed combustion metaphors for human personality so often that we barely notice anymore.
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