Usage Note
Lance-flammes is invariable — its plural is identical (des lance-flammes), as is typical for compound nouns formed with lance- (a verb stem). It is a compound of lancer (to throw/project) + flammes (flames). The word appears in military, historical, and video-game contexts; it is rarely encountered in everyday conversation.
Examples
"L'infanterie utilisait des lance-flammes pendant la guerre."
Natural Translation
The infantry used flamethrowers during the war.
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