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PYRE

 - 3 dictionary results

pyre

  [pahyuhr]
Use PYRE in a Sentence
–noun
1. a pile or heap of wood or other combustible material.
2. such a pile for burning a dead body, esp. as part of a funeral rite, as in India.
Origin:
1650–60; < L pyra < Gk pyrá hearth, funeral pile
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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pyre   (pīr)   
n.  

  1. A heap of combustibles for burning a corpse as a funeral rite.

  2. A pile of combustibles.


[Latin pyra, from Greek purā, from pūr, fire; see paəw in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

pyre 
1658, from L. pyra, from Gk. pyra "a hearth, funeral pyre," from pyr (gen. pyros) "fire," cognate with O.E. fyr (see fire).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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