Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A heap of combustibles for burning a corpse as a funeral rite.
- n. A pile of combustibles.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A pile or heap of wood or other combustible materials for burning a dead body; a funeral pile.
Wiktionary
- n. A funeral pile; a combustible heap on which corpses are burned.
- n. Any heap or pile of combustibles.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. A funeral pile; a combustible heap on which the dead are burned; hence, any pile to be burnt.
WordNet 3.0
- n. wood heaped for burning a dead body as a funeral rite
Etymologies
- Latin pyra, from Greek purā, from pūr, fire; see paəwr̥ in Indo-European roots.
Examples
“A great funeral pyre is built and set ablaze, while his many followers watch.”
“Beowulf: A New Verse Translation” by Seamus Heaney (Norton, 2000) « The BookBanter Blog
“If our own funeral pyre is to blaze in triumph above the ashes of a ruined Germany, it will be small comfort that we have destroyed their dreams of conquest.”
“The pyre was a single torch burning to its socket, by whose light I saw his face alone.”
The Persian Boy
“The coffin is placed on the pyre, which is lighted by relatives, the occasion being considered one for rejoicing rather than mourning.”
“He is actually on the pyre, which is kindled, when the pagan hold Luiserne is stormed by a pirate king, and Vivien is rescued, but sold as a slave.”
The Flourishing of Romance and the Rise of Allegory (Periods of European Literature, vol. II)
“The pyre is the most spectacular of dozens of temporary funeral buildings at the site, a”
“(The corpses, followed by the CHILDREN of the slain chieftains, are carried off to the pyre which is kindled within the sight of the persons on the stage.)”
“The bedroom was an inferno now, the bed like a kind of pyre in the centre of it.”
Strip Jack
“And with the third mention of the word "pyre," David's legs went weak and something seemed to catch in his throat.”
“For example: instead of writing something like "As men with wooden stakes and kindling began approaching the congressional offices, the senator from Delaware became anxious," try writing "As men with wooden stakes and kindling set a pyre outside her office, the Senator worried the top of her brow with a finger and looked slightly away from the window.”
The Huffington Post: Adam Chandler: Show, Don't Tell: WikiLeaks and Our War with Iran
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘pyre’.
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Fire
Words describing or related to fire.
burn, blaze, brand, sizzle, scorch, char, crisp, crackle, kindle, flame, inferno, pyre and 27 more...
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pyro-, pyr-
of or relating to fire; denoting a mineral or compound formed or affected by heat or having a fiery color
pyromania, pyrophosphate, pyromaniac, pyre, pryrogallol, pyroxene, pyroxenite
bkerr The doomsday device / ultra weapon / awakening macguffin in "The Stars My Destination" / "Tiger! Tiger!" by Alfred Bester. Apr 1, 2007