(Southern American English, 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 Englishfyr, from Old Englishfȳr(“fire”), from Proto-West Germanic*fuir, from *fuïr, a regularised form of Proto-Germanic*fōr(“fire”) (compare Saterland FrisianFjuur, West Frisianfjoer, Dutchvuur, Low GermanFüer, GermanFeuer, Danishfyr), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European*péh₂wr̥. Also, compare Hittite𒉺𒄴𒄯(paḫḫur), Umbrianpir, Tocharian A/B por/puwar, Czechpýř(“hot ashes”), Ancient Greek πῦρ(pûr, “fire”), and Armenianհուր(hur, “fire”). This was an inanimate noun whose animate counterpart was Proto-Indo-European*h₁n̥gʷnis (see ignite). Cognate to pyre.
Alternative forms
fier(archaic)
Noun
fire (countable and uncountable, pluralfires)
(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.
(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).
(countable) The occurrence, often accidental, of fire in a certain place, causing damage and danger.
(uncountable, alchemy, philosophy) The aforementioned chemical reaction of burning, considered one of the Classical elements or basic elements of alchemy.
(countable, British) A heater or stove used in place of a real fire (such as an electric fire).
(countable) The elements necessary to start a fire.
(uncountable) The bullets or other projectiles fired from a gun or other ranged weapon.
(countable) A planned bombardment by artillery or similar weapons, or the capability to deliver such.
(countable, African-American Vernacular, slang) A firearm.
(countable, figurative) A barrage, volley
(astronautics) An instance of firing one or more rocket engines.
Strength of passion, whether love or hate.
Liveliness of imagination or fancy; intellectual and moral enthusiasm.
Splendour; brilliancy; lustre; hence, a star.
A severe trial; anything inflaming or provoking.
Red coloration in a piece of opal.
Synonyms
blaze
conflagration
inferno
Derived terms
Descendants
→ Japanese: ファイヤー(faiyā)
Sranan Tongo: faya
Translations
Adjective
fire (not comparable)(predicative only)
(slang) Amazing; excellent.
Alternative forms
fye(nonstandard, Internet slang)
Translations
Etymology 2
From Middle Englishfiren, fyren, furen, from Old Englishfȳrian(“to make a fire”), from the noun (see above). Cognate with Old Frisianfioria(“to light a fire”), Saterland Frisianfjuurje(“to fire”), Middle Dutchvûren, vueren, vieren(“to set fire”), Dutchvuren(“to fire, shoot”), Old High Germanfiuren(“to ignite, set on fire”), Germanfeuern(“to fire”).
Verb
fire (third-person singular simple presentfires, present participlefiring, simple past and past participlefired)
(transitive) To set (something, often a building) on fire.
(transitive) To heat as with fire, but without setting on fire, as ceramic, metal objects, etc.
(transitive) To drive away by setting a fire.
(transitive) To terminate the employment contract of (an employee), especially for cause (such as misconduct or poor performance).
Antonym:hire
(transitive, by extension) To terminate a contract with a client; to drop a client.
(transitive) To shoot (a gun, rocket/missile, or analogous device).
(intransitive) To shoot a gun, cannon, or similar weapon.
Synonyms:open fire, shoot
(astronautics) To operate a rocket engine to produce thrust.
(transitive, mining) To set off an explosive in a mine.
(transitive, sports) To shoot; to attempt to score a goal.
(intransitive, physiology) To cause an action potential in a cell.
(transitive) To forcibly direct (something).
(transitive, intransitive, computer sciences, software engineering) To initiate an event (by means of an event handler).
(transitive) To inflame; to irritate, as the passions.
(intransitive, dated) To be irritated or inflamed with passion.
To animate; to give life or spirit to.
To feed or serve the fire of.
(transitive) To light up as if by fire; to illuminate.
(transitive, farriery) To cauterize.
(intransitive, dated) To catch fire; to be kindled.
(terminate the employment of):dehire, dismiss, give one's cards, give the boot, give the elbow, give the old heave-ho, let go, make redundant, sack, terminate, throw out, unhire; See also Thesaurus:lay off.
Derived terms
Translations
Interjection
fire
command to shoot with firearms
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
third-person singular present indicative of firir
Bavarian
Alternative forms
fiere, vire(spelling)
Etymology
From Middle High Germanvürhin, fürhin, equivalent to fia + hi. Compare archaic Germanfürhin and Alemannic Germanfüre.
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /ˈfiːrɛ/
Adverb
fire
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
shrinkage, loss
scrap
Danish
Etymology 1
From Old Norsefjórir, from Proto-Germanic*fedwōr, from Proto-Indo-European*kʷetwóres(“four”).
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /fiːrə/, [ˈfiːɐ]
Numeral
fire
four
Usage notes
In compounds: fir-.
Etymology 2
From Middle Low Germanfīren, from Frenchvirer(“bear, veer”).
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /fiːrə/, [ˈfiːɐ]
Verb
fire (imperativefir, infinitiveat fire, present tensefirer, past tensefirede, perfect tensehar firet)
to lower something fixed to a rope or something similar
Conjugation
Galician
Verb
fire
second-person singular imperative of ferir
Italian
Etymology
From Vulgar Latin*fīre, from Latinfīerī(“become, be”). Compare Romanianfi.
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 futurefìaorfìe, no subjunctive, no imperfect subjunctive)
(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 Danishfire, Old Norsefjórir, from Proto-Germanic*fedwōr, from *kʷetwṓr, the neuter form of Proto-Indo-European*kʷetwóres.
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /ˈfiːɾə/
Numeral
fire
four
Derived terms
Related terms
fjerde(ordinal)
Etymology 2
From Frenchvirer, via Middle Low Germanfiren.
Verb
fire (imperativefir, present tensefirer, passivefires, simple pastfiraorfiretorfirte, past participlefiraorfiretorfirt, present participlefirende)
to slacken, ease
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 Danishfire, Old Norsefjórir, from Proto-Germanic*fedwōr, from *kʷetwṓr, the neuter form of Proto-Indo-European*kʷetwóres.