bonfire

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“
Until more recent times, gathering wood for the bonfire was a challenge.

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Definitions (8)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. noun A large fire built outdoors, as for signaling or in celebration of an event.

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (5)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (1)

Toggle WordNet definitions WordNet (1)

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Examples

  • Then, just as the portal began to shrink toward closure, Malcolm shot through. —  Time Scout
  • Near the bonfire was a sign welcoming visitors to Strasbourg.
  • Until more recent times, gathering wood for the bonfire was a challenge. —  IvyGate
  • The servers declared afterwards that drying clothes round a bonfire was the most exciting duty they had ever performed. —  For the Sake of the School
  • Any further explorations in that direction would demand more torches than we presently had Our supply of wood for the bonfire was already dwindling, and we weren’t finding much in the pillaged rooms that we could use for torches. —  Legends II
 

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Bonfire has been looked up 172 times, favorited 0 times, listed 13 times, and commented on 8 times.

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Etymologies (2)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English bonnefire : bon, bone; see bone + fir, fire; see fire.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (1)

  1. Early modern English boonfire, bondfire, bounfire, later burnfire, but reg. bonfire or bonefire, Scots banefire; from late Middle English bonefyre, Scots banefyre (the earliest known instance is “banefyre, ignis ossium,” in the “Catholicon Anglicum,” A. D. 1483); from bone (Scots bane, Middle English bone, bon, bane, etc.) + fire. The vowel is shortened before two consonants, as in collier, etc. The W. banffagl, also spelled bonffagl, a bonfire, as if from ban, lofty, + ffagl, flame, blaze, appears to have been formed in imitation of the English word.
 

Pronunciations
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/ˈbɑnfaɪr/
by American Heritage

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