fire

English Online Dictionary. What means fire‎? What does fire mean?

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈfaɪ.ə/, [faɪ̯ə]
  • (triphthong smoothing) IPA^(key): [ˈfaə], [ˈfaː], [ˈfɑə], [ˈfɑəː]
• (General American) enPR: fīʹər, fīr, IPA^(key): /ˈfaɪ.ɚ/, [ˈfaɪ̯ɚ], /ˈfaɪɹ/

• (Southern US, Appalachia) IPA^(key): [ˈfäːɚ]
• (Inland Northern American, Western New England, Ontario, Philadelphia) IPA^(key): [fʌɪ̯ɚ]
• (General Australian, New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ˈfaɪ.ə/, [ˈfɑe̯ə]
• Rhymes: -aɪə(ɹ)

Etymology 1

From Middle English fyr, from Old English fȳr (“fire”), from Proto-West Germanic *fuir, from *fuïr, a regularised form of Proto-Germanic *fōr (“fire”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *péh₂wr̥.

See also Saterland Frisian Fjuur, West Frisian fjoer, Dutch vuur, Low German Füer, German Feuer, Danish fyr. Also, compare Hittite 𒉺𒄴𒄯 (paḫḫur), Umbrian pir, Tocharian A/B por/puwar, Czech pýř (“hot ashes”), Ancient Greek πῦρ (pûr, “fire”), and Armenian հուր (hur, “fire”). This was an inanimate noun whose animate counterpart was Proto-Indo-European *h₁n̥gʷnis (see ignite). Cognate to pyre.

Alternative forms

• fier (archaic)
• 🜂 (alchemy)

Noun

fire (countable and uncountable, plural fires)

2. (uncountable) A (usually self-sustaining) chemical reaction involving the bonding of oxygen with carbon or other fuel, with the production of heat and the presence of flame or smouldering.
3. (countable) An instance of this chemical reaction, especially when intentionally created and maintained in a specific location to a useful end (such as a campfire or a hearth fire).
4. (countable) The occurrence, often accidental, of fire in a certain place, causing damage and danger.
5. (uncountable, alchemy, philosophy) The aforementioned chemical reaction of burning, considered one of the Classical elements or basic elements of alchemy.
6. (countable, British) A heater or stove used in place of a real fire (such as an electric fire).
7. (countable) The elements necessary to start a fire.

8. (uncountable) The bullets or other projectiles fired from a gun or other ranged weapon.

9. (countable) A planned bombardment by artillery or similar weapons, or the capability to deliver such.

10. (countable, African-American Vernacular, slang) A firearm.
11. (countable, figurative) A barrage, volley
12. (astronautics) An instance of firing one or more rocket engines.

13. Strength of passion, whether love or hate.
14. Liveliness of imagination or fancy; intellectual and moral enthusiasm.
15. Splendour; brilliancy; lustre; hence, a star.
16. A severe trial; anything inflaming or provoking.
17. Red coloration in a piece of opal.
18. (gemology) The capacity of a gemstone, especially a faceted, cut gemstone, that is transparent to visible light, to disperse white light into its multispectral component parts, resulting in a flash of different colors, the richness and dispersion of which increases the gemstone's value.

Synonyms

• blaze
• flame
• conflagration
• inferno

Derived terms

Descendants

• → Japanese: ファイヤー (faiyā)
• Sranan Tongo: faya

Translations

Adjective

fire (not comparable) (predicative only)

1. (slang) Amazing; excellent.

Alternative forms

• fye (nonstandard, Internet slang)

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English firen, fyren, furen, from Old English fȳrian (“to make a fire”), from the noun (see above). Cognate with Old Frisian fioria (“to light a fire”), Saterland Frisian fjuurje (“to fire”), Middle Dutch vûren, vueren, vieren (“to set fire”), Dutch vuren (“to fire, shoot”), Old High German fiuren (“to ignite, set on fire”), German feuern (“to fire”).

Verb

fire (third-person singular simple present fires, present participle firing, simple past and past participle fired)

1. (transitive) To set (something, often a building) on fire.

   Synonyms: inflame, kindle; see also Thesaurus:kindle
2. (transitive) To heat as with fire, but without setting on fire, as ceramic, metal objects, etc.
3. (transitive) To drive away by setting a fire.
4. (transitive, employment) To terminate the employment contract of (an employee), especially for cause (such as misconduct, incompetence, or poor performance).

   Synonyms: dehire, dismiss, give someone their cards, give the boot, give the elbow, give someone the heave-ho, let go, make redundant, sack, terminate, throw out, unhire; see also Thesaurus:lay off

   Antonym: hire
5. (transitive, by extension) To terminate a contract with a client; to drop a client.
6. (transitive) To shoot (a gun, rocket/missile, or analogous device).

   Synonyms: let off, (archery) loose, shoot

7. (intransitive) To shoot a gun, cannon, or similar weapon.

   Synonyms: open fire, shoot
8. (astronautics) To operate a rocket engine to produce thrust.

9. (transitive, mining) To set off an explosive in a mine.
10. (transitive, sports) To shoot; to attempt to score a goal.
11. (intransitive, physiology) To cause an action potential in a cell.

12. (transitive) To forcibly direct (something).

    Synonyms: propel, shoot, throw

13. (ambitransitive, computer sciences, software engineering) To initiate an event (by means of an event handler).

14. (transitive) To inflame; to irritate, as the passions.

    Synonyms: arouse, excite; see also Thesaurus:thrill, Thesaurus:incite

15. (intransitive, dated) To be irritated or inflamed with passion.
16. To animate; to give life or spirit to.

    Synonyms: energize, inspirit; see also Thesaurus:enliven

17. To feed or serve the fire of.
18. (transitive) To light up as if by fire; to illuminate.

    Synonyms: belight; see also Thesaurus:illuminate
19. (transitive, farriery) To cauterize (a horse, or a part of its body).
20. (intransitive, dated) To catch fire; to be kindled.

    Synonyms: go up in flames; see also Thesaurus:combust

21. (intransitive, dated) To work as a fireman, one who keeps the fire under a steam boiler on a steam-powered ship or train.

22. (slang, usually with "up") To start (an engine).
23. (horse racing, intransitive) Of a horse: to race ahead with a burst of energy.
    • 1988, Chronicle of the Horse (volume 51, issues 1-13, page 18)

      I'd say he struggled to get around the course. He never fired. In other years, when Buzzy Hannum rode him, he ran well enough to win, but not this time.

Conjugation

Derived terms

Translations

Interjection

fire

1. Command to shoot with firearms.

Usage notes

While this term is commonly used in archery in modern-day contexts, this is technically incorrect. The correct term in archery is loose.

Translations

Further reading

• fire on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Fire in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)

Anagrams

• -fier, Fier, Frie, fier, refi, reif, rief, rife

Asturian

Verb

fire

1. third-person singular present indicative of firir

Bavarian

Alternative forms

• fiere, vire (spelling)

Etymology

From Middle High German vürhin, fürhin, equivalent to fia + hi. Compare archaic German fürhin and Alemannic German füre.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfiːrɛ/

Adverb

fire

1. ahead, forward (direction away from the speaker)

   Se san fire gångan. ― They went ahead.

Usage notes

Bavarian adverbs of direction come in pairs: endings in -i or -e denote direction away from the speaker (akin to hi), and endings in -a denote direction towards the speaker (akin to her).

Related terms

• fira

Crimean Tatar

Noun

fire

1. shrinkage, loss
2. scrap

Danish

Etymology 1

From Old Norse fjórir, from Proto-Germanic *fedwōr, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷetwóres (“four”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fiːrə/, [ˈfiːɐ]

Numeral

fire

1. four

Usage notes

In compounds: fir-.

Etymology 2

From Middle Low German fīren, from French virer (“bear, veer”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fiːrə/, [ˈfiːɐ]

Verb

fire (imperative fir, infinitive at fire, present tense firer, past tense firede, perfect tense har firet)

1. to lower something fixed to a rope or something similar

Conjugation

Galician

Verb

fire

1. second-person singular imperative of ferir

Italian

Etymology

From Vulgar Latin *fīre, from Latin fīerī (“become, be”). Compare Romanian fi.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfi.re/
• Rhymes: -ire
• Hyphenation: fì‧re

Verb

fìre (third-person only, no present, no past historic, no past participle, no imperfect, third-person singular future fìa or fìe, no subjunctive, no imperfect subjunctive)

1. (northern Italy, obsolete) to be

   Synonym: essere

Conjugation

• The only forms attested outside of old Northern Italian literature are the future fia, fie (third-person singular) and fiano, fieno (third-person plural).

Further reading

• fire in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Anagrams

• ferì, refi

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology 1

From Danish fire, Old Norse fjórir, from Proto-Germanic *fedwōr, from *kʷetwṓr, the neuter form of Proto-Indo-European *kʷetwóres.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfiːɾə/

Numeral

fire

1. four

Derived terms

Related terms

• fjerde (ordinal)

Etymology 2

From French virer, via Middle Low German firen.

Verb

fire (imperative fir, present tense firer, passive fires, simple past fira or firet or firte, past participle fira or firet or firt, present participle firende)

1. to slacken, ease
2. to lower (a flag)

References

• “fire” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Alternative forms

• fir (four, apocope, non-standard)
• fjore (four, High Norwegian)

Etymology 1

From Danish fire, Old Norse fjórir, from Proto-Germanic *fedwōr, from *kʷetwṓr, the neuter form of Proto-Indo-European *kʷetwóres.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈfiːɾə/

Numeral

fire

1. four

Derived terms

Related terms

• fjerde (ordinal)

Etymology 2

From French virer, via Middle Low German firen.

Verb

fire

1. to slacken, ease
2. to lower (e.g. a flag)

References

• “fire” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Romanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfi.re/

Etymology 1

Noun

fire n

1. plural of fir

Etymology 2

From fi +‎ -re.

Noun

fire f (plural firi)

1. essence, substance, nature

   Synonym: natură

2. character, temper, disposition

   Synonyms: caracter, temperament

3. mind

   Synonym: minte

Declension

Related terms

Turkish

Etymology

Borrowed from Greek Φύρα (Fýra).

Noun

fire (definite accusative fireyi, plural fireler)

1. wastage
2. outage
3. shrinkage, loss, loss in weight, decrease
4. turnover
5. ullage
6. leakage
7. waste, tret, deficiency

Declension