balefire
[ beyl-fahyuh r ]
/ ˈbeɪlˌfaɪər /
noun
a large fire in the open air; bonfire.
a signal fire; beacon.
the fire of a funeral pile.
Origin of balefire
1250–1300; Middle English
bal(e)fir, equivalent to
bale (< Old Norse
bāl funeral pyre) +
fire
fire; replacing Old English
bǣlfȳr
Words nearby balefire
bale cubic,
balearic islands,
baleboste,
baleen,
baleen whale,
balefire,
baleful,
balenciaga,
baler,
balestra,
balewa
Example sentences from the Web for balefire
This word was the last which the wise old man harbored in heart ere hot death-waves of balefire he chose.
Beowulf |AnonymousA single window in the wing gleamed like a balefire in the rays of the setting sun.
Shapes that Haunt the Dusk |VariousBalefire devoured, greediest spirit, those spared not by war out of either folk: their flower was gone.
Beowulf |Anonymous
British Dictionary definitions for balefire
balefire
/ (ˈbeɪlˌfaɪə) /
noun archaic
a bonfire
a beacon fire
a funeral pyre
Word Origin for balefire
C14
bale, from Old English
bǣl pyre; related to Old Norse
bāl flame, pyre, Sanskrit
bhāla brightness