pyro

[ pahy-roh ]

noun,plural py·ros.Informal.
  1. a pyromaniac.

Origin of pyro

1
By shortening; cf. -o

Other definitions for pyro- (2 of 2)

pyro-

  1. a combining form meaning “fire,” “heat,” “high temperature,” used in the formation of compound words: pyrogen; pyrolusite; pyromancy.

  2. Chemistry. a combining form used in the names of inorganic acids, indicating that the acid's water content is intermediate between that of the corresponding ortho- (more water) and meta- (least water) acids (pyroantimonic, H4Sb2O7, pyroarsenic, H4As2O7, and pyrosulfuric, H2S2O7, acids). The combining form is also used in the names of the salts of these acids. If the acid ends in -ic, the corresponding salt ends in -ate (pyroboric acid, H2B4O7, and potassium pyrobate, K2B4O7, or pyrosulfuric, H2S2O7, and pyrosulfate, N2S2O7); if the acid ends in -ous, the corresponding salt ends in -ite (pyrophosphorous acid, H4P2O5, potassium pyrophosphite, K4P2O5).

Origin of pyro-

2
<Greek pyro-, combining form of pŷrfire

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How to use pyro in a sentence

  • It is the particular business of a chemical called “pyro” to release this latent image.

  • It is to him more than to any other, for instance, that is due the first steps in our knowledge of pyro-(or thermo-) electricity.

  • Place a small heap of dry granulated soda (or half a dozen tablets of sodic hydroxide) by the side of the pyro tablets.

  • She lighted the little pyro stove, opened a closet and took out a saucepan, a bottle of milk, a sugar dish and some spoons.

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  • According to Reichenbach, pyro-acetic spirit may be extracted in considerable quantity from beech tar.

British Dictionary definitions for pyro-

pyro-

combining form
  1. denoting fire, heat, or high temperature: pyromania; pyrometer

  2. caused or obtained by fire or heat: pyroelectricity

  1. chem

    • denoting a new substance obtained by heating another: pyroboric acid is obtained by heating boric acid

    • denoting an acid or salt with a water content intermediate between that of the ortho- and meta- compounds: pyro-phosphoric acid

  2. mineralogy

    • having a property that changes upon the application of heat: pyromorphite

    • having a flame-coloured appearance: pyroxylin

Origin of pyro-

1
from Gk pur fire

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012