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Definition: Fire |
FireNoun1. The event of something burning (often destructive); "they lost everything in the fire". 2. The process of combustion of inflammable materials producing heat and light and (often) smoke; "fire was one of our ancestors' first discoveries". 3. The act of firing weapons or artillery at an enemy; "hold your fire until you can see the whites of their eyes"; "they retreated in the face of withering enemy fire". 4. A fireplace in which a fire is burning; "they sat by the fire and talked". 5. Intense adverse criticism; "Clinton directed his fire at the Republican Party"; "the government has come under attack"; "don't give me any flak". 6. Feelings of great warmth and intensity; "he spoke with great ardor". 7. (archaic) once thought to be one of four elements composing the universe (Empedocles). 8. A severe trial; "he went through fire and damnation". Verb1. Start firing a weapon. 2. Cause to go off; "fire a gun"; "fire a bullet". 3. Bake in a kiln; "fire pottery". 4. Terminate the employment of; "The boss fired his secretary today". 5. Go off or discharge; "The gun fired". 6. Drive out or away by or as if by fire; "The soldiers were fired"; "Surrender fires the cold skepticism". 7. Call forth; of emotions, feelings, and responses; "arouse pity"; "raise a smile"; "evoke sympathy". 8. Destroy by fire; "They burned the house and his diaries". 9. Provide with fuel; "Oil fires the furnace". Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "fire" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1010. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Aerospace | 1. To ignite a rocket engine. Usage is sometimes restricted to period of main chamber burning when small igniter chambers are used, especially with igniter idle provisions where the igniter may burn for some significant period prior to main chamber fire.2. To launch a rocket. (references) |
Bible | Fire (1.) For sacred purposes. The sacrifices were consumed by fire (Gen. 8:20). The ever-burning fire on the altar was first kindled from heaven (Lev. 6:9, 13; 9:24), and afterwards rekindled at the dedication of Solomon's temple (2 Chr. 7:1, 3). The expressions "fire from heaven" and "fire of the Lord" generally denote lightning, but sometimes also the fire of the altar was so called (Ex. 29:18; Lev. 1:9; 2:3; 3:5, 9). Fire for a sacred purpose obtained otherwise than from the altar was called "strange fire" (Lev. 10:1, 2; Num. 3:4). The victims slain for sin offerings were afterwards consumed by fire outside the camp (Lev. 4:12, 21; 6:30; 16:27; Heb. 13:11). (2.) For domestic purposes, such as baking, cooking, warmth, etc. (Jer. 36:22; Mark 14:54; John 18:18). But on Sabbath no fire for any domestic purpose was to be kindled (Ex. 35:3; Num. 15:32-36). (3.) Punishment of death by fire was inflicted on such as were guilty of certain forms of unchastity and incest (Lev. 20:14; 21:9). The burning of captives in war was not unknown among the Jews (2 Sam. 12:31; Jer. 29:22). The bodies of infamous persons who were executed were also sometimes burned (Josh. 7:25; 2 Kings 23:16). (4.) In war, fire was used in the destruction of cities, as Jericho (Josh. 6:24), Ai (8:19), Hazor (11:11), Laish (Judg. 18:27), etc. The war-chariots of the Canaanites were burnt (Josh. 11:6, 9, 13). The Israelites burned the images (2 Kings 10:26; R.V., "pillars") of the house of Baal. These objects of worship seem to have been of the nature of obelisks, and were sometimes evidently made of wood. Torches were sometimes carried by the soldiers in battle (Judg. 7:16). (5.) Figuratively, fire is a symbol of Jehovah's presence and the instrument of his power (Ex. 14:19; Num. 11:1, 3; Judg. 13:20; 1 Kings 18:38; 2 Kings 1:10, 12; 2:11; Isa. 6:4; Ezek. 1:4; Rev. 1:14, etc.). God's word is also likened unto fire (Jer. 23:29). It is referred to as an emblem of severe trials or misfortunes (Zech. 12:6; Luke 12:49; 1 Cor. 3:13, 15; 1 Pet. 1:7), and of eternal punishment (Matt. 5:22; Mark 9:44; Rev. 14:10; 21:8). The influence of the Holy Ghost is likened unto fire (Matt. 3:11). His descent was denoted by the appearance of tongues as of fire (Acts 2:3). Source: Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary. |
Dream Interpretation | Fire is favorable to the dreamer if he does not get burned. It brings continued prosperity to seamen and voyagers, as well as to those on land. To dream of seeing your home burning, denotes a loving companion, obedient children, and careful servants. For a business man to dream that his store is burning, and he is looking on, foretells a great rush in business and profitable results. To dream that he is fighting fire and does not get burned, denotes that he will be much worked and worried as to the conduct of his business. To see the ruins of his store after a fire, forebodes ill luck. He will be almost ready to give up the effort of amassing a handsome fortune and a brilliant business record as useless, but some unforeseen good fortune will bear him up again. If you dream of kindling a fire, you may expect many pleasant surprises. You will have distant friends to visit. To see a large conflagration, denotes to sailors a profitable and safe voyage. To men of literary affairs, advancement and honors; to business people, unlimited success. Source: Ten Thousand Dreams Interpreted .... |
Literature | Fire (Anglo-Saxon, fyr, Greek, pur.) St. Antony's fire. Erysipelas. "Le feu St Antoine. " (See Anthony.) St. Helen's fire. "Ignis sanctæ Helenæ. " "Feu St. Helme. " (See Castor and Pollux; and Elmo.) Hermes's fire. Same as St. Helen's fire (q.v.). I have myself passed through the fire; I have smelt the smell of fire. I have had experience in trouble. The allusion is to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who were cast into the fiery furnace by Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. iii.). If you will enjoy the fire you must put up with the smoke. (Latin, "Commoditas quævis sua fert incommoda secum. ") Every convenience has its inconvenience. More fire in the bed-straw. More mischief brewing. Alluding to the times when straw was used for carpets and beds. No fire without smoke. (French, "Nul feu sans fumée. ") No good without its mixture of evil. No smoke without fire. To every scandal there is some foundation. Where there is smoke there is fire. Every effect is the result of some cause. Fire The Great Fire of London (1666) broke out at Master Farryner's, the king's baker, in Pudding Lane, and after three nights and three days was arrested at Pie Corner. St. Paul's Cathedral, eighty-nine other churches, and 13,200 houses were burnt down. Source: Brewer's Dictionary. |
Military & Defense | To detonate the main explosive charge by means of a firing system. Source: European Union. (references) |
| The command given to discharge a weapon(s). Source: European Union. (references) | |
Mining | A. To explode or blow up. The expression "the pit has fired" signifies that an explosion of combustible gases has taken place b. To blast or explode with ammonium nitrate-fuel oil (ANFO), dynamite, or other explosive. c. A word shouted by miners as warning just before a shot is fired d. Fuel in a state of combustion, as on a hearth, in a grate, or furnace. A manifestation of rapid combustion or combination of materials with oxygen. e. Flashes of different spectral colors seen in diamonds and other gemstones with high birefringence as a result of dispersion.CF:play of color. (references) |
Multilingual Slang | Catalan (txamusca). (references) |
Tips from 1870 | Usage: Fire, Throw. We fire a gun, but throw a stone. To fire a stone, fire him out of the house, fire him out of our employ, may be graphic ways of presenting the thought, but good writers never use them and good speakers should avoid them. Source: Slips of Speech. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
A fire is a rapid oxidation process of combustible gases ejected from a fuel. It starts by subjecting the fuel to heat or another energy source, e.g. a match or lighter, and is sustained by the further release of heat energy. Controlling fire was one of humankind's first great achievements and made possible migration to colder climes which otherwise would have remained out of reach for colonization.
larger versionFires and burning have often been used in religious sacrifices, as the smoke of the fire disperses into the heavens. Fire is one of the four classical elements, as well as one of the five Chinese elements.
The burning of wood is often the first association to the word fire, and trees have since ancient times supplied much of the energy needed by humans. In the past, metal smelting and charcoal production consumed large quantities of wood for their production. Nowadays, large scale energy is usually not produced by fires of burning wood, but has been replaced by hydrocarbon oil and coal, and in some cases nuclear energy or renewable energy sources. Wood burning remains a heat source in third world countries and where other sources of energy are unavailable.
There are four elements that maintain the combustion process, and the absence of any one of them will prevent a fire. The removal of these elements is the job of firefighters.
See also: campfire, List of historic fires, fire hydrant, smoking
- Fuel may be removed from the site of a fire to curb its spread. In forestry, controlled burns are used to keep the available fuel supply low, so that intense fires do not occur. Gases that do not support combustion, such as nitrogen and carbon dioxide may be used to deprive an existing fire of its fuel.
- An oxidizer (usually oxygen) is needed to react with the fuel. Sand and foam may be used to stop the flow of oxygen to a fire. In particularly violent fires, such as those of the Kuwaiti oil wells during the Gulf War, explosions may be used instead.
- Heat is what allows fuels to be vaporized, which allows them to burn. Removal of enough heat prevents fuels from burning. Water is uniquely effective at removing heat; due to its high heat of vaporization, it removes a large amount of energy by simply boiling away.
- The chemical chain reaction is what perpetuates combustion; compounds such as halon extinguishing agents cause the chain reaction to be broken. The precise mechanism is not known, but it is thought that the halogen radicals end the reactions that support combustion.
- Some materials are naturally fire-resistant. Either they are simply incapable of being oxidized , or they do not release enough energy in the process to sustain the fire.
External links
Fire can also refer to a Instant messaging client for Mac OS X. See Fire (software).
FIRE can also refer to the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education a civil liberties organization.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Fire."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Fire is one of the four classical elements in ancient Greek philosophy and science. Fire is considered to be both hot and dry, and according to Plato is associated with the tetrahedron.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Fire (classical element)."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Fire is a instant messenger client for Mac OS X (previously for OPENSTEP), that can access IRC, Jabber, AIM, ICQ, MSN, and Yahoo! Messenger. The most recent release is 0.32.f as of Friday, October 3rd, 2003.
External link
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Fire (software)."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Fire Pokémon are a certain type of Pokémon, including the following:
This list will be expanded as more Pokémon entries are created on Wikipedia.
- Charmander
- Charmeleon
- Charizard
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Fire Pokémon."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Firefighters are persons who are trained and equipped to put out fires, rescue people and in some areas provide emergency medical services. The fire service, also known as the fire brigade in some countries is one of the emergency services.Firefighting is the process and profession of extinguishing fires. Firefighting is important in urban areas where firefighters are on constant standby; in wildland areas, and on board ship.
Fire-fighting Skills
Note: this mostly discusses urban firefighting. See bushfire for a discussion of forest fires.Firefighting has several basic skills: Prevention, self-preservation, rescue, preservation of property and fire control. All of these except prevention can be performed at the same time by a skilled fire-fighting team.
Prevention
Prevention attempts to assure that no place simultaneously has heat, fuel and air. Most prevention programs prevent heat. Every building, including residences, should have sprinklers. No life has ever been lost to fire in a residence with sprinklers. With the small rooms typical of a residence, one or two sprinklers can cover most rooms. If this is not possible, then at least have smoke detectors and a fire-extinguisher.
Self Preservation
Never enter a burning building unless you are a trained firefighter equipped with self-contained breathing apparatus (or equivalent).Self-preservation is critical. A dead fire-fighter is no good to anyone. The basic technique is to know where you are, and avoid hazards. Work in teams. Keep your basic tools with you. Always keep a route out, and preserve it by irrigation. Don't depend on failing structures. Try to understand where the fire is going: Usually up, following fuel and air. Never get above the fire. If you have breathing equipment, use it. Otherwise, stay low, out of the gases. Avoid fuel that can flash-over. When the search is over, or the exit is threatened, if the building can't be saved, get out.
Rescue
Rescue consists of searching, and then removing people that are alive. Animals may also be recovered, if resources and conditions permit. Generally triage and first aid are performed outside. The general form of rescue is to shuffle through the structure with the right hand against the wall. Remember to search beds and cupboards, and identify oneself to victims. Many children are very frightened of fire-fighters in breathing masks.Rescue may also involve the extrication of victims of motor vehicle accidents. More technical forms of rescue include subsets such as rope rescue, confined space rescue, and trench rescue. These types of rescue are often extremely hazardous and physically demanding.
Property
Buildings that are made of fuel, such as frame buildings, are different from fire-proof buildings such as concrete high-rises. Generally, the fire in a fire-proof building can be limited to a floor. Other floors can be safe simply by preventing smoke inhalation and damage. A burnable building must be evacuated.Property preservation is a great help to people. Most fires can be limited to burning only the upper part of a frame structure. If possible, turn off the gas, electricity and water, and during the search, tip all the movable property into the middle of a room, and cover it with a heavy cloth tarp. This reduces damage from water, smoke and burning embers. If the structure doesn't catch, it's very helpful to ventilate it to reduce smoke damage.
Fire Control
Fire control consists of depriving a fire of fuel, oxygen or heat. The standard way is to remove heat by spraying the burning solid fuels with water from a fire-hose. Some fuels float on water, and are actually spread by water (such as gasoline). Some departments can use chemical dust even on large fires. These are preferable because the property damage can be so much less water. Petroleum fires are more often smothered with foam. In electrical fires, the crucial thing is to turn off the electricity.Most fires spread as hot gases move through the structure. Some fires can be controlled or limited by venting these gases to the outside. This can aggravate a fire if it introduces new oxygen, or permits a draft past fuel or structure, so it should be attempted only by veteran fire fighters.
Firefighters are constantly training and updating their skills on equipment. Some of their tools include extrication equipment, ladder trucks, tanker trucks, pumper trucks, and ambulances.
History of fire brigades
- to be written
National Information
France
Reflecting the rural nature of much of the country, the Volunteer Fire brigade (SPV), with over 190,000 firefighters is the largest firefighting force in France. In addition to being called out from work to attend an incident, they may be on standby at firestations outside their working hours. The Professional Fire Brigade (SPP) numbers over 30,000 firefighters, employed by the départements and working on shifts. In some towns there is a mixture of professionals and volunteers, in others only one or the other.In Paris and Marseille, the fire brigades are made up of military personnel, but under the control of the Ministry of the Interior in a similar way to the Gendarmes. The Paris brigade (BSPP) has around 7 000 firefighters, and the BMPM in Marseille has over 2000.
French firefighters tackle over 3.6 million incidents each year: 10% fires, 10% traffic accidents, 59% other help to people, 21% other incidents (gas escapes, stuck elevators, etc).
Miscellanea
In popular literature, firefighters are usually depicted with Dalmatian dogs.See also
- fire engine
- bushfire
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Firefighter."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Fire in San Bernardino, California Mountains
(image taken from the International Space Station)A wildfire, also known as a forest fire (or bushfire in Australasia), is an uncontrolled fire in wildland often caused by lightning; other common causes are human carelessness and arson.
Drought and the prevention of small forest fires are major contributors to extreme forest fires.
Background
Wildfires are common in many places around the world, including much of the vegetated areas of Australia, forest areas of the United States and Canada, where the climates are sufficiently moist to allow the growth of trees, but feature extended dry, hot periods when fallen branches, leaves, and other material can dry out and becomes highly flammable. Wildfires are also common in grasslands and scrublands. Wildfires tend to be most common and severe during years of drought and occur on days of strong winds. With extensive urbanization of wildlands, these fires often involve destruction of suburban homes located in the wildland urban intermix.
Today it is accepted that wildfires are a natural part of the ecosystem of wildlands, where, at the least, plants have evolved to survive fires by a variety of strategies (from possessing reserve shoots that sprout after a fire, to fire-resistant seeds), or even encourage fire (for example eucalypts contain flammable oils in the leaves) as a way to eliminate competition from less fire-tolerant species. Most native animals, too, are adept at surviving wildfires.
On occasions, wildfires have caused large-scale damage to private property, particularly when they have reached urban-fringe communities, destroying many homes and causing deaths.
Slash, small, rotten, mis-shapen, or otherwise undesirable wood discarded during logging, has historically provided the fuel for devastating fires such as the fires in Michigan in the 19th century.
The aftermath of a wildfire can be as disastrous if not more so than the actual fire itself. A particularly destructive fire burns away all the plants and trees which prevented erosion. If heavy rains occur after such a fire, landslides, ash flows, and flash floods are to be expected. Not only does this result in severe property damage for those living in the immediate fire area, but it also affects the quality of the local water supply.
Green Knoll Wildfire
in Jackson, Wyoming
Prevention
For many decades the policy of the United States Forest Service was to surpress all fires, and this policy was epitomized by the mascot Smokey the Bear and was also the basis of parts of the movie Bambi. The policy began to be questioned in the 1960s, when it was realized that no new sequoias had been grown in the redwood forests of California, because fire is an essential part of their life cycle. This produced the policy of controlled burns to reduce underbrush. This clears much of the undergrowth through forest and woodland areas, making travel and hunting much easier while reducing the risk of dangerous high-intensity fires caused by many years of fuel buildup.
However, the previous policy of absolute fire suppression in the United States had resulted in the buildup of fuel resulting in large and severe fires such as the fire in Yellowstone National Park in 1988. Urbanization can also result in fuel buildup and devastating fires, such as those in Los Alamos, New Mexico, East Bay Hills, within the California cities of Oakland and Berkeley, between October 19 and 22, 1991, all over Colorado in 2002, and throughout Southern California in October, 2003.
On average, wildfires burn 4.3 million acres (1.7 million hectares) in the United States annually. In recent years the federal government has spent $1 billion a year on fire suppression. 2002 was a record year for fires with major fires in Arizona, California, Colorado, and Oregon.
The risk of major wildfires can be reduced by reducing the amount of fuel present. In wildland, this can be accomplished by either conducting "controlled burns" - deliberately setting areas ablaze under less dangerous weather conditions in spring or autumn - or physical fuel removal by removing some trees as is conducted in many American forests. Both approaches are controversial with some environmentalists, who regard them as tampering with the forest ecosystem.
People living in fire-prone areas typically take a variety of precautions, including building their homes out of flame-resistant materials, reducing the amount of fuel near the home or property (including firebreaks - their own miniature control lines, in effect), and investing in their own firefighting equipment.
Rural farming communities are rarely threatened directly by wildfire. These types of communities are usually located in large areas of cleared, usually grazed, land, and in the drought conditions present in wildfire years there is often very little grass left on such grazed areas. Hence the risk is minimized. However, urban fringes have spread into forested areas, for example in Sydney and Melbourne, and communities have literally built themselves in the middle of highly flammable forests. These communities are at high risk of destruction in bushfires.
Fire suppression
Most fire-prone areas have large firefighter services to help control bushfires. As well as the water-spraying trucks most commonly used in urban firefighting, bushfire services use a variety of alternative techniques. They often possess aircraft, particularly helicopters, that can douse areas that are inaccessible to ground crews and deliver greater quantities of water and/or flame retardant chemicals. However, large fires are of such a size that no conceivable firefighting service could attempt to douse the whole fire directly, and so alternative techniques are used.
In alternative approaches, firefighters attempt to control the fire by controlling the area that it can spread to, by creating "control lines", which are areas that contain no combustible material. These control lines can be produced by physically removing fuel (for instance, with a bulldozer), or by "backburning", in which small, low-intensity fires are started to burn the flammable material in a (hopefully) controlled way. These may then be extinguished by firefighters, or, ideally, directed in such a way that they meet the main fire front, at which point both fires run out of flammable material and are thus extinguished.
Unfortunately, such methods can fail in the face of wind shifts causing fires to miss control lines or to jump straight over them (for instance, because a burning tree falls across a line, burning embers are carried by the wind over the line, or burning tumbleweeds cross the line).
The actual goals of firefighters vary. Protection of life (those of both the firefighters and "civilians") is given top priority, then private property according to economic and social value and also to its "savability" (for example, more effort will be expended on saving a house with a tile roof than one with a wooden-shake roof). In very severe, large fires, this is sometimes the only possible action. Protecting houses is regarded as more important than, say, farming machinery sheds, although firefighters, if possible, try to keep fires off farmland to protect stock and fences (steel fences are destroyed by the passage of fire, as the wire is irreversibly stretched and weakened by it). Preventing the burning of publicly-owned forested areas is generally of least priority, and, indeed, it is quite common (in Australia, at least) for firefighters to simply observe a fire burn towards control lines through forest rather than attempt to put it out more quickly - it is, after all, a natural process.
Famous wildfires in North America
- Miramichi fire in Maine and New Brunswick, which burned three million acres (12150 km²) and killed 160 people. 1825
- Yachina fire in Oregon, which burned 450,000 acres 1846
- Nestucca fire in Oregon, which burned 320,000 acres 1853
- The Silverton fire, the worst recorded fire in Oregon, which burned an estimated one million acres 1865
- The Coos fire in Oregon, which burned 300,000 acres 1868
- The Peshtigo, Wisconsin fire, which burned 1,200,000 acres (4850 km²) in one day October 8, 1871 (overshadowed by the Great Chicago Fire, which occurred on the same day)
- Bighorn fire in Wyoming, which burned 500,000 acres 1876
- A fire in Michigan, burned a million acres and killed 138 people 1881
- The Hinckley fire in Minnesota, burned 160,000 acres, killed 418 people, and destroyed 12 towns 1894
- The Adirondack fire in New York, which burned 450,000 acres 1903
- The Great Fire of 1910, burned about three million acres in Idaho and Montana over two days (August 20, and 21), killed 86 people
- The Tillamook Burn, which swept through the same region of Oregon four times, and burned a total of 355,000 acres 1933, 1939, 1945, and 1951
- A series of fires in Maine over ten days, burned 175,000 acres and killed 16 people 1947
- Yellowstone National Park 800,000 acres, 1988
- Oakland Hills firestorm, killed 25 and destroyed 3469 homes and apartments within the California cities of Oakland and Berkeley, between October 19 and 22, 1991.
- Glenwood Springs, Colorado1994
- Mesa Verde National Park 2000
- Rodeo-Chediski fire, Arizona, 2002 467,066 acres of woodland burned, June 18 to July 7, 2002, and threatened, but did not burn the town of Show Low, Arizona.
- Durango, Colorado fires 2002, 915,000 acres burned 9 firefighter deaths, 235 homes destroyed
- The Florence/Sour Biscuit Complex Fire, burned 499,570 acres in southwestern Oregon between July 13 and September 5, 2002
- Major fire inferno in the Okanagan district, British Columbia covering around 500,000 acres, displacing more than 5,000 inhabitants, in August and September 2003
- At least 13 major fires in the Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and San Diego counties in California covering 800,000 acres (3237 km²), killing 24, displacing 120,000 and destroying 3,600 homes in October 2003. Damage estimated at 2 billion USD. See NASA images: [1].
External Links
Further Reading
- Fire in America: A Cultural History of Wildland and Rural Fire, Stephen J. Pyne, Princeton University Press, 1982, hardcover, 654 pages, ISBN 0-691-08300-2
- Year of the Fires, The Story of the Great Fires of 1910, Stephen J. Pyne, Viking Penguin, 2001, 320 pages, ISBN 0670899909
- Ghosts of the Fireground: Echoes of the Great Peshtigo Fire and the Calling of a Wildland Firefighter, Peter M. Leschak, HarperSanFrancisco, 2002, hardback, 288 pages, ISBN 0062517775
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Wildfire."
| The following table is compiled from various sources, across various languages. When English abbreviations or acronyms come from a non-English source, this is noted. | |||
| Entry | Source | Expression | Field |
FIRE | English | Finance,Insurance and Real Estate | Finance |
| FIDES | English | Fire Detecting Electronic Sensor | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |||
Synonyms: FireSynonyms: ardor (n), ardour (n), attack (n), blast (n), fervency (n), fervidness (n), fervor (n), fervour (n), firing (n), flack (n), flak (n), flame (n), flaming (n), arouse (v), burn (v), burn down (v), can (v), discharge (v), dismiss (v), elicit (v), enkindle (v), evoke (v), force out (v), fuel (v), give notice (v), give the axe (v), go off (v), kindle (v), open fire (v), provoke (v), raise (v), sack (v), send away (v), terminate (v). (additional references) |
| Antonym: hire (v). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Abrogation | Dismiss, discard; cast off, turn off, cast out, cast adrift, cast out of doors, cast aside, cast away; send off, send away, send packing, send about one's business; discharge, get rid of; (eject); bounce; fire, fire out; sack. |
Affections | Energy, fervor, fire, force. |
Ejection | Eject, reject; expel, discard; cut, send to coventry, boycott; chasser; banish; (punish); bounce ; fire, fire out; throw; throw out, throw up, throw off, throw away, throw aside; push; throw out, throw off, throw away, throw aside; shovel out, shovel away, sweep out, sweep away; brush off, brush away, whisk off, whisk away, turn off, turn away, send off, send away; discharge; send adrift, turn adrift, cast adrift; turn out, bundle out; throw overboard; give the sack to; send packing, send about one's business, send to the right about; strike off the roll; (abrogate); turn out neck and heels, turn out head and shoulders, turn out neck and crop; pack off; send away with a flea in the ear; send to Jericho; bow out, show the door to. |
Excitability | Passion, excitement, flush, heat; fever, heat; fire, flame, fume, blood boiling; tumult; effervescence, ebullition; boiling over; whiff, gust, story, tempest; scene, breaking out, burst, fit, paroxysm, explosion; outbreak, outburst; agony. |
Lose one's temper; break out, burst out, fly out; go off, fly off, fly off at a tangent, fly off the handle, lose one's cool; explode, flare up, flame up, fire up, burst into a flame, take fire, fire, burn; boil, boil over; foam, fume, rage, rave, rant, tear; go wild, run wild, run mad, go into hysterics; run riot, run amuck; battre la campagne, faire le diable a quatre, play the deuce. | |
Excitation | Verb: excite, affect, touch, move, impress, strike, interest, animate, inspire, impassion, smite, infect; stir the blood, fire the blood, warm the blood; set astir; wake, awake, awaken; call forth; evoke, provoke; raise up, summon up, call up, wake up, blow up, get up, light up; raise; get up the steam, rouse, arouse, stir; fire, kindle, enkindle, apply the torch, set on fire, inflame. |
Heat | Phlogiston; fire, spark, scintillation, flash, flame, blaze; bonfire; firework, pyrotechnics, pyrotechny; wildfire; sheet of fire, lambent flame; devouring element; adiathermancy; recalescence. |
Insulation, Fire extinction | Fire code, fire regulations, fire; fire inspector; code violation, citation. |
Physical Energy | Noun: energy, physical energy, force, power; keenness; Adjective: intensity, vigor, strength, elasticity; go; high pressure; fire; rush. |
Vigor | Noun: vigor, power, force; boldness, raciness; Adjective: intellectual, force; spirit, point, piquance, piquancy; verve, glow, fire, warmth; strong language; gravity, sententiousness; elevation, loftiness, sublimity. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
Crosswords: Fire |
| Non-English Usage: "Fire" is also a word in the following languages with English translations in parentheses. Danish (four), Norwegian (four, lower), Romanian (character, disposition, feather, fiber, fibre, grain, mettle, nature, sort, spirit, temper), Turkish (leakage, outage, shrinkage, turnover, ullage, Wantage, wastage). |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | There's just something about an anatomically correct rubber suit that puts fire in a girl's lips (Batman & Robin; writing credit: Akiva Goldsman) Though the fire seemed to spread through the quarter, I stood on that deck, fearful he would come out again from the very river, like some monster, to destroy us both (Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles; writing credit: Anne Rice) I am glad you are late. This chicken took longer than I expected Hope it isn't done too much Of course, it caught on fire once I think it is better that I cut it out here, unless you want half of one for yourself (Notorious; writing credit: Ben Hecht) Did you catch fire again (Lilo & Stitch; writing credit: Chris Sanders) An object of affection to quench your royal fire. Completely free from infection (Coming to America; writing credit: David Sheffield) | |
Lyrics | I've seen fire and I've seen rain (Fire And Rain; performing artist: James Taylor) Oh, But The Fire Went Wild (Ring Of Fire; performing artist: JOHNNY CASH; writing credit: June Carter and Merle Kilgore) Keep the fire burnin' (Keep The Fire Burnin; performing artist: REO Speedwagon) There's nothin like a bath of fire (Bath Of Fire; performing artist: The Presidents) When lovers hearts catch fire (When Smokey Sings; performing artist: ABC) | |
Clever | The fire you kindle for your enemy often burns yourself more than him. (references; author: Chinese Proverb) Friendly fire isn't. (references; author: unknown) Hell has no fire escapes. (references; author: unknown) Incoming fire has the right of way. (references; author: unknown) Don't look conspicuous: it draws fire. (references; author: unknown) | |
Movie/TV Titles | Fire (1997) Under Fire (1995) Reign of Fire (2002) Fire Over Afghanistan (2003) Angel on Fire (1974) | |
Song Titles | Fire (performing artist: The Crazy World of Arthur Brown) Light My Fire (performing artist: The Doors) Fire and Rain (performing artist: James Taylor) Paper In Fire (performing artist: John Cougar Mellencamp) St. Elmo's Fire (Man In Motion) (performing artist: John Parr) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
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Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | This is a cartoon from Harper's Weekly circa 1890. It shows an office worker, whose smoking cigar is drooping from his mouth, reading a sign on the wall: "No Smoking In Offices During Office Hours". The caption reads: "another civic-service outrage. Less smoke and more fire". Credit: Unknown photographer/artist. |  | Fire and emergency response personnel practice techniques for hazardous materials containment and removal. Credit: CDC. |
 | Burning building and firefighter at Emory Village, Atlanta, Georgia, January 1979. Fire, smoke. Credit: CDC. |  | "Curtains of Fire 1" by Jerry Thornhill. |
 | Tracking Fire Trends From Space. Credit: NASA. |  | Project Fire. Credit: NASA. |
 | Apollo 1 Fire. Credit: NASA. |  | Carrying the fire bucket for cold fingers and frozen fountain pens Level party of William Gibson. Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection. |
 | Ferdinand Hassler directing movement of the Great Theodolite on Fire Island Angle measurements at the end points of the Fire Island Base Line Probably sketched by Assistant John Farley. Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection. |  | Dennison's Exchange and Parker House before the fire, December 1849. In: "The Annals of San Francisco". Frank Soule, John Gihon, and James Nesbit. 1855. Page 242. D. Appleton & Company, New York. F869.S3.S7 1855. Credit: America's Coastlines. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
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| "Fire" by Bernie Zajac Commentary: "Capturing some of the warmth of a camp fire on one of our camping trips." | "Hot Like Fire" by Mary Day Commentary: "A Campfire!." |
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers. | |
| Play | Caption | Play | Caption |
 | Police siren and fire truck horn. | | Fire crackling. |
| Fire alarm ringing to signify a building fire. | | School bell ringing to signify the end of class; fire alarm bell ringing. |
| Fire extinguisher blowing fire-extinguishing foam. | | Fire truck horn. |
| A 45 caliber small machine gun or automatic weapon fire. | | Firing of a laser gun; phaser fire;. |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Author | Quotation |
Author Unknown | A spark of kindness starts a fire of love. |
Benjamin Disraeli | Courage is fire, and bullying is smoke. |
Benjamin Franklin | The proof of gold is fire... |
| Keep flax from fire, youth from gaming. | |
Confucius | True gold fears not the fire. |
Desiderius Erasmus | Fire and sea and woman, three evils. |
John Heywood | The fat is in the fire. |
Mikhail A. Bakunin | Throw theory into the fire; it only spoils life. |
Thomas Fuller | Zeal without knowledge is fire without light. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| Author | Date | Quotation |
John Locke | 1690 | The first is, If he endeavour to overturn the government, that is, if he have a purpose and design to ruin the kingdom and commonwealth, as it is recorded of Nero, that he resolved to cut off the senate and people of Rome, lay the city waste with fire and sword, and then remove to some other place. (Second Treatise of Government) |
Treaty of Versailles | 1919 | Where by administrative or legislative action an insurance against fire effected before the war has been transferred during the war from the original to another insurer, the transfer will be recognised and the liability of the original insurer will be deemed to have ceased as from the date of the transfer. (reference) |
John F. Kennedy | 1961 | The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it--and the glow from that fire can truly light the world. (reference) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Title | Author | Quote |
Sylvie and Bruno Concluded | Carroll, Lewis | If a fire breaks out, the taps are turned, and in one minute the theatre is flooded, up to the very roof |
A Christmas Carol | Dickens, Charles | Becoming immediately sensible of the impropriety, he poked the fire, and extinguished the last frail spark for ever |
Scarlet Letter | Hawthorne, Nathaniel | My heart was a habitation large enough for many guests, but lonely and chill, and without a household fire. |
Les Miserables | Hugo, Victor | Nothing was stirring, not a bivouac fire was extinguished |
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man | Joyce, James | Mother was sitting at the fire with Dante waiting for Brigid to bring in the tea. |
Grapes of Wrath | Steinbeck, John | In half an hour we set fire to the camp |
Gulliver's Travels | Swift, Jonathan | I found some shellfish on the shore, and ate them raw, not daring to kindle a fire, for fear of being discovered by the natives |
Walden | Thoreau, Henry David | After having taken medicine, and fasted for three days, all the fire in the town is extinguished |
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead | Tom Stoppard | Rosencrantz: Fire! Guildenstern: Where |
Macbeth | William Shakespeare | Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Health | During a seizure, neurons may fire as many as 500 times a second, much faster than the normal rate of about 80 times a second. (references) | |
Tobacco kills more than 430,000 U.S. citizens each year-more than alcohol, cocaine, heroin, homicide, suicide, car accidents, fire, and AIDS combined. (references) | ||
Loss of dopamine causes the nerve cells of the striatum to fire out of control, leaving patients unable to direct or control their movements in a normal manner. (references) | ||
Business | The local Fire Department is the enforcing authority. (references) | |
Fire extinguishers are distributed by a few specialized firms. (references) | ||
Following is fire prevention equipment (80 percent), and arms (60 percent). (references) | ||
Children | Tuvalu | In March 2000, a fire destroyed a girls' boarding school, with 19 fatalities. (references) |
Kenya | In a letter to the Minister of Education, FIDA demanded that the Government fire these teachers. (references) | |
Macedonia | Despite government cease-fires to permit their departure and ICRC-provided transport to safe points, some ethnic-Albanian parents elected to remain in their homes with their children in conflict areas during combat operations, and at least one child was killed by artillery fire as a result. (references) | |
Civil Liberties | Haiti | They began to throw stones and fire weapons. (references) |
Macedonia | The next night, on December 9, the mosque in Bitola caught fire. (references) | |
Haiti | They were escorted to the local fire station and were aided by government authorities. (references) | |
Economic History | Pakistan | The American Cultural Center in Lahore also was destroyed by fire. (references) |
Guyana | Several businesses and homes were destroyed by fire during this period. (references) | |
Libya | The U.S. planes returned fire and shot down the attacking Libyan aircraft. (references) | |
Human Rights | Jamaica | He questioned whether police came under fire. (references) |
Guinea-Bissau | The LGDH consequently convinced President Yala to fire Sanha. (references) | |
Zimbabwe | He also was forced to strip naked and sit very close to a fire. (references) | |
Indigenous People | Bangladesh | Bengalis later set fire to more than 100 houses belonging to tribals. (references) |
Minorities | Lebanon | Later that month, arsonists set fire to a north Lebanese mosque. (references) |
Kenya | Police officers did not believe the fire to be religiously motivated. (references) | |
Political Economy | India | The Government extended a cease fire in Jammu and Kashmir, begun in November 2000, until May. (references) |
Guyana | Part of a block in the main business district was gutted by fire causing severe losses for several businesses. (references) | |
THAILAND | In practice, however, cases of management action against union organizers occur, and employers use loopholes in the law to fire union organizers. (references) | |
Political Rights | Cote d'Ivoire | Sub-national governments generally must rely on the central Government for much of their revenue, but mayors have autonomy to hire and fire community administrative personnel. (references) |
Armenia | In a July 1999 by-election in Yerevan's Achapniak district, violence erupted when armed supporters of one of the candidates beat and opened fire on supporters of another candidate. (references) | |
Trade | Hong Kong | What few there are relate to fire control (gas and electricity) in the city's high rise buildings. (references) |
Travel | Azerbaijan | With the closing of the Ramstore due to fire in Summer 2001, there are no large, American-style supermarkets now operating in Baku. (references) |
Switzerland | Countrywide emergency telephone numbers are: Police 117; Fire 118; and Ambulance 144. There is usually an English-speaking contact available. (references) | |
Women | Jordan | The boy repeatedly struck his sister in the head with a club before covering her body in kerosene and setting it on fire. (references) |
Worker Rights | Saint Lucia | The law prohibits members of the police and fire departments from striking. (references) |
Bangladesh | A November 2000 garment factory fire resulted in the death of 10 child workers. (references) | |
Thailand | Courts continued to hear testimony in the case of the 1993 Kader Toy Factory fire. (references) | |
Lexicography | Devil's Dictionary | ALTAR, n. The place whereupon the priest formerly raveled out the small intestine of the sacrificial victim for purposes of divination and cooked its flesh for the gods. The word is now seldom used, except with reference to the sacrifice of their liberty and peace by a male and a female tool. They stood before the altar and supplied The fire themselves in which their fat was fried. In vain the sacrifice! -- no god will claim An offering burnt with an unholy flame. M.P. Nopput |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| Speaker | Phrase(s) |
Heather Mercer and Dayna Curry | Well Heather is the one that started it, and we started adding our scarves as well, to make a fire, so the helicopter could see us better. |
Robert Novak | Senator, as a side issue, President Bush has come under fire for some stock transactions he made as a private citizen long ago. Vice President Cheney under fire for some decisions he may have made as CEO of Halliburton. |
Rudolph Giuliani | You got it. It's a police officer has been shot, fire fighter has been burned, some terrible tragedy has occurred, a plane has crashed. |
Rush Limbaugh | In the real world, at least eight Americans were killed when two helicopters took enemy fire in the largest offensive of the five-month war to root terrorists out of Afghanistan. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Speaker | Term | Phrase(s) |
George Washington | 1789-1797 | A fire not to be quenched, it demands a uniform vigilance to prevent its bursting into a flame, lest, instead of warming, it should consume. |
Thomas Jefferson | 1801-1809 | To justify a general conclusion, requires many observations, even where the subject may be submitted to the anatomical knife, to optical classes, to analysis by fire, or by solvents. |
William H. Taft | 1909-1913 | We must not now, therefore, keep up a fire in the rear of the agents whom we have authorized to do our work on the Isthmus. |
Lyndon B. Johnson | 1963-1969 | For finally I must be the one to order our guns to fire, against all the most inward pulls of my desire. |
Jimmy Carter | 1977-1981 | This program is essential to the continued ability of our local governments to provide essential police, fire and sanitation services. |
Ronald Reagan | 1981-1989 | There, on the western front, he was killed trying to carry a message between battalions under heavy artillery fire. |
Bill Clinton | 1993-2001 | But I am persuaded that the real credit belongs to the people who sent us here, who pay our salaries, who hold our feet to the fire. |
George W. Bush | 2001-2005 | Stronger police and fire departments will mean safer neighborhoods. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| "Fire" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 94.62% of the time. "Fire" is used about 13,677 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech |
