fire

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See also: FIRE and fíre

English

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A large fire (3)
A small fire from a lighter (2)
The fire of a stationary minigun (7)

Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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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

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Noun

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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).
    We sat about the fire singing songs and telling tales.
    • 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter VIII, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y., London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:
      We toted in the wood and got the fire going nice and comfortable. Lord James still set in one of the chairs and Applegate had cabbaged the other and was hugging the stove.
  4. (countable) The occurrence, often accidental, of fire in a certain place, causing damage and danger.
    There was a fire at the school last night and the whole place burned down.
    During hot and dry summers many fires in forests are caused by regardlessly discarded cigarette butts.
    • 2020 January 1, Bernard Lagan, “Thousands flee to beaches as the flames close in”, in The Times, number 73,044, page 24:
      Efforts to fight the fires in New South Wales and Victoria were hampered as large fires converged and created their own violent weather systems. The fire created dry lightning storms so severe that planes had to be grounded.
  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.
    The fire was laid and needed to be lit.
  8. (uncountable) The bullets or other projectiles fired from a gun or other ranged weapon.
    The fire from the enemy guns kept us from attacking.
  9. (countable) A planned bombardment by artillery or similar weapons, or the capability to deliver such.
    We dominated the battlespace with our fires.
  10. (countable, African-American Vernacular, slang) A firearm.
    • 2023 June 23, “Special K” (track 7), in BLP Kosher (lyrics), Bars Mitzva‎[1], 2:01:
      I used to work at Five Below but now I keep that fire below
  11. (countable, figurative) A barrage, volley
    • 1911, James George Frazer, The Golden Bough, volume 7, page 136:
      In the district of Erfurt a very heavy sheaf [...] is called the Great Mother, and is carried on the last waggon to the barn, where all hands lift it down amid a fire of jokes.
  12. (astronautics) An instance of firing one or more rocket engines.
    static fire
  13. Strength of passion, whether love or hate.
  14. Liveliness of imagination or fancy; intellectual and moral enthusiasm.
    • 1711 May, [Alexander Pope], An Essay on Criticism, London: […] W[illiam] Lewis […]; and sold by W[illiam] Taylor […], T[homas] Osborn[e] […], and J[ohn] Graves […], →OCLC:
      And bless their critic with a poet's fire.
    • 1991 December 15, Michael Halberstadt, “Queer Proposals?”, in Gay Community News, volume 19, number 22, page 5:
      Attendance of QN meetings has been dwindling, and the creative fire drained from the organization by the dead hand of wannabe bureaucrats bend [sic] on thought control. The action has long since been elsewhere.
  15. Splendour; brilliancy; lustre; hence, a star.
  16. A severe trial; anything inflaming or provoking.
  17. Red coloration in a piece of opal.
Synonyms
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Derived terms
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Descendants
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  • → Japanese: ファイヤー (faiyā)
  • Sranan Tongo: faya
Translations
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See fire/translations § Noun.

Adjective

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fire (not comparable) (predicative only)

  1. (slang) Amazing; excellent.
    This is fire, keep up the amazing work!
Alternative forms
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Translations
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Etymology 2

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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

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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.
    If you fire the pottery at too high a temperature, it may crack.
    They fire the wood to make it easier to put a point on the end.
    • 1908, W[illiam] B[lair] M[orton] Ferguson, chapter IV, in Zollenstein, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:
      So this was my future home, I thought! Certainly it made a brave picture. I had seen similar ones fired-in on many a Heidelberg stein. Backed by towering hills, […] a sky of palest Gobelin flecked with fat, fleecy little clouds, it in truth looked a dear little city; the city of one's dreams.
  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
    • 1969, Vladimir Nabokov, Ada or Ardor, Penguin, published 2011, page 226:
      The first, obvious choice was hysterical and fantastic Blanche – had there not been her timidity, her fear of being ‘fired’ […].
  5. (transitive, by extension) To terminate a contract with a client; to drop a client.
    • 1979, Richard Collins Rea, Operating a Successful Accounting Practice: A Collection of Material from the Journal of Accountancy Practitioners Forum, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 288:
      Don't be hesitant to fire a client - cull out the deadwood. If a client doesn't meet the above criteria, you are better off without him. You don't do your best work for a client you'd rather not have.
    • 2020, Rebecca Migdal, Museum Mercenary: A Handbook for Independent Museum Professionals, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 278:
      Maintaining a collegial attitude even when doing the more difficult business work, like firing a client, is another part. If you are struggling through the relationship, the client might be struggling as well, so firing them may be mutually beneficial, and you should try and do it on the best of terms.
  6. (transitive) To shoot (a gun, rocket/missile, or analogous device).
    Synonyms: let off, (archery) loose, shoot
    We will fire our guns at the enemy.
    The jet fired a salvo of rockets at the truck convoy.
    He fired his radar gun at passing cars.
  7. (intransitive) To shoot a gun, cannon, or similar weapon.
    Synonyms: open fire, shoot
    Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes.
    • 1989, Dolores Zen, transl., Last Chance in Manchuria‎[2], Hoover Institution Press, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 93:
      I heard that both yesterday and today, when transports of the central government carrying our soldiers arrived at Hu-lu-tao, bandit troops on the shore fired at them.
  8. (astronautics) To operate a rocket engine to produce thrust.
    The RCS thrusters fired several times to stabilize the tumbling spacecraft.
  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.
    When a neuron fires, it transmits information.
  12. (transitive) To forcibly direct (something).
    Synonyms: propel, shoot, throw
    He answered the questions the reporters fired at him.
  13. (transitive, intransitive, computer sciences, software engineering) To initiate an event (by means of an event handler).
    The event handler should only fire after all web page content has finished loading.
    The queue fires a job whenever the thread pool is ready to handle it.
  14. (transitive) To inflame; to irritate, as the passions.
    Synonyms: arouse, excite; see also Thesaurus:thrill, Thesaurus:incite
    to fire the soul with anger, pride, or revenge
  15. (intransitive, dated) To be irritated or inflamed with passion.
    • 1864, Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, Uncle Silas:
      Inexperienced girl as I was, I fired at the idea of becoming his dupe, and fancying, perhaps, that there was more in merely answering his note than it would have amounted to, I said — "That kind of thing may answer very well with button-makers, but ladies don't like it. […]
    • 1700, [John] Dryden, “Cymon and Iphigenia, from Boccace”, in Fables Ancient and Modern; […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:
      Love had fired my mind.
  16. To animate; to give life or spirit to.
    Synonyms: energize, inspirit; see also Thesaurus:enliven
    to fire the genius of a young man
  17. To feed or serve the fire of.
    to fire a boiler
    • 1961 March, ""Balmore"", “Driving and firing modern French steam locomotives”, in Trains Illustrated, pages 150, 151:
      We left with the "Blue Train", dead on time. This time I fired all the way. […] The next day took me home again on No. E.16 with Henri Dutertre. I fired from Paris to Calais.
  18. (transitive) To light up as if by fire; to illuminate.
    Synonyms: belight; see also Thesaurus:illuminate
  19. (transitive, farriery) To cauterize.
  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.
    I fired on that train until August.
  22. (slang, usually with "up") To start (an engine).
Conjugation
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Conjugation of fire
infinitive (to) fire
present tense past tense
1st-person singular fire fired
2nd-person singular fire, firest† fired, firedst†
3rd-person singular fires, fireth† fired
plural fire
subjunctive fire fired
imperative fire —
participles firing fired

†Archaic or obsolete.

Derived terms
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Translations
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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

Interjection

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fire

  1. Command to shoot with firearms.
Translations
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Further reading

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Anagrams

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Asturian

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Verb

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fire

  1. third-person singular present indicative of firir

Bavarian

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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Adverb

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fire

  1. ahead, forward (direction away from the speaker)
    Se san fire gångan. ― They went ahead.

Usage notes

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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).

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Crimean Tatar

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Noun

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fire

  1. shrinkage, loss
  2. scrap

Danish

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Danish cardinal numbers
 <  3 4 5  > 
    Cardinal : fire
    Ordinal : fjerde

Etymology 1

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

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /fiːrə/, [ˈfiːɐ]

Numeral

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fire

  1. four
Usage notes
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In compounds: fir-.

Etymology 2

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

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /fiːrə/, [ˈfiːɐ]

Verb

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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
    • 1871, Jens Andreas Friis, Lappisk Mythologi, page 138:
      Saa gik han hen og firede Stenen og Vidietouget ned i Hullet.
      Then he went [to the hole] and lowered the rock and the wicker rope down into the hole.
    • 2014, Teddy Vork, Diget, Tellerup A/S, →ISBN:
      Han satte sig på knæ, famlede sig frem til tovet og vendte sig rundt så han havde ryggen til hullet, drejede overkroppen bagud, firede faklen ned i hullet.
      He kneeled, fumbled his way to the rope and turned around, such that his back was to the hole, twisted his torso backwards, lowered the torch into the hole.
Conjugation
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Inflection of fire
present past
simple firer firede
perfect har firet havde firet
passive fires firedes
participle - firet
imperative fir —
infinitive fire —
auxiliary verb have —
gerund — —

Galician

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Verb

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fire

  1. second-person singular imperative of ferir

Italian

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Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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

Verb

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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

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  • The only forms attested outside of old Northern Italian literature are the future fia, fie (third-person singular) and fiano, fieno (third-person plural).
    Conjugation of fìre (-ire; third-person only; irregular; defective) (See Appendix:Italian verbs)
infinitive fìre
auxiliary verb — gerund —
present participle — past participle —
person singular plural
first second third first second third
indicative io tu lui/lei, esso/essa noi voi loro, essi/esse
present — — — — — —
imperfect — — — — — —
past historic — — — — — —
future — — fìa, fìe — — fìano, fìeno
conditional io tu lui/lei, esso/essa noi voi loro, essi/esse
present — — — — — —
subjunctive che io che tu che lui/che lei, che esso/che essa che noi che voi che loro, che essi/che esse
present — — — — — —
imperfect — — — — — —
imperative — tu Lei noi voi Loro
— — — — —
negative imperative — — — — —

Further reading

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

Anagrams

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Norwegian Bokmål

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Norwegian Bokmål cardinal numbers
 <  3 4 5  > 
    Cardinal : fire
    Ordinal : fjerde

Etymology 1

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

Pronunciation

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Numeral

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fire

  1. four
Derived terms
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Etymology 2

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From French virer, via Middle Low German firen.

Verb

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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

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Norwegian Nynorsk

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Norwegian Nynorsk cardinal numbers
 <  3 4 5  > 
    Cardinal : fire
    Ordinal : fjerde

Alternative forms

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Etymology 1

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

Pronunciation

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IPA(key): /ˈfiːɾə/

Numeral

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fire

  1. four
Derived terms
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Etymology 2

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From French virer, via Middle Low German firen.

Verb

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fire

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

References

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Romanian

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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Noun

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fire n

  1. plural of fir

Etymology 2

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From fi +‎ -re.

Noun

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fire f (plural firi)

  1. essence, substance, nature
    Synonym: natură
  2. character, temper, disposition
    Synonyms: caracter, temperament
  3. mind
    Synonym: minte
Declension
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singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative-accusative fire firea firi firile
genitive-dative firi firii firi firilor
vocative fire, fireo firilor
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Turkish

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Greek Φύρα (Fýra).

Noun

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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

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Inflection
Nominative fire
Definite accusative fireyi
Singular Plural
Nominative fire fireler
Definite accusative fireyi fireleri
Dative fireye firelere
Locative firede firelerde
Ablative fireden firelerden
Genitive firenin firelerin
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