ETYM Old Eng. fir, fyr, fur as. fyr; akin to Dutch vuur, os. and Old High Germ. fiur, German feuer, Icel. fyri, fûrr, Greek pyr, and perh. to Latin purus pure, Eng. pure Cf. Empyrean, Pyre.
1. (Archaic) Flames; the (usually visible) result of combustion.
2. The process of combustion of inflammable materials producing heat and light and (often) smoke; SYN. flame, flaming.
3. A fireplace in which a fire is burning.
4. A severe trial.
5. Intense adverse criticism; SYN. attack, flak, blast.
6. The act of firing weapons or artillery at an enemy; SYN. firing.
7. The event of something burning (often destructive).
8. (Archaic) Once thought to be one of four elements composing the universe.
Symbol of purity, purification, or divinity in many religions and cultures, in which sacrifice is or has been a central ritual. In Christianity, however, the fires of hell are traditionally opposed to the light of God and heaven.
In classical antiquity, fire was the attribute of Hestia, goddess of hearth and home, and in Rome the Vestal Virgins guarded the sacred flame of Vesta in her shrine in the Forum. In classical mythology, fire was stolen from the gods and given to humans by Prometheus. In Indian Vedic ritual, Agni was honored as the sacrificial fire that mediated between gods and humans, and which was the responsibility of the Brahmans. In Zoroastrianism, fire is the son of the supreme god Ahura Mazda. A remnant of symbolic purification still persists in the bonfires lit at Hallowe'en to chase away evil spirits.
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