pyro

¹

[pahy-roh]

noun

Informal.

plural

pyros 

1. a pyromaniac.

pyro-

²

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, H 4 Sb 2 O 7 , pyroarsenic, H 4 As 2 O 7 , and pyrosulfuric, H 2 S 2 O 7 ,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, H 2 B 4 O 7 , and potassium pyrobate, K 2 B 4 O 7 , or pyrosulfuric, H 2 S 2 O 7 , and pyrosulfate, N 2 S 2 O7 ); if the acid ends in -ous, the corresponding salt ends in -ite (pyrophosphorous acid, H 4 P 2 O 5 , potassium pyrophosphite, K 4 P 2 O5 ).

pyro-

combining form

1. denoting fire, heat, or high temperature

   pyromania

   pyrometer

2. caused or obtained by fire or heat

   pyroelectricity

3. chem

   1. denoting a new substance obtained by heating another

      pyroboric acid is obtained by heating boric acid

   2. denoting an acid or salt with a water content intermediate between that of the ortho- and meta- compounds

      pyro-phosphoric acid

4. mineralogy

   1. having a property that changes upon the application of heat

      pyromorphite

   2. having a flame-coloured appearance

      pyroxylin

Word History and Origins

Origin of pyro¹

By shortening; -o

Origin of pyro²

< Greek pyro-, combining form of pŷr fire

Word History and Origins

Origin of pyro¹

from Gk pur fire

Example Sentences

It’s like half the normal film, and then they’ve integrated pyro and stuff happening live on a stage.

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When he cranked up the pyro on the midcareer lurker ballad “The Hills,” the front rows of SoFi got a bracing reminder of how volatile this music is even when it sits atop streaming charts.

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Twenty minutes later, the show was back on, with the Weeknd crooning “Rather Lie” and “Timeless” surrounded by Carti’s Opium crew while pyro and chugging guitars flared around them.

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Why allow his lawyers to portray him as a pyro?

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Pyro, predictably, reappeared and kick-off was delayed, two more fingers being raised by the ultras to their own clubs and to the footballing authorities who practically begged them to behave.

Read more on BBC

When To Use

What does pyro- mean?

Pyro- is a combining form used like a prefix that has two distinct senses.The first of these senses is “fire,” "heat," or "high temperature," and this form of pyro- is occasionally used in a variety of scientific and technical terms.The second of these senses is used in terms from chemistry to mean “inorganic acids” or "the salt of inorganic acids."Pyro- in both of these senses comes from Greek pŷr, meaning “fire.” The Latin translations of pŷr are ignis and incendium, both of which also mean “fire” and are the sources of terms such as ignite and incendiary. To learn more, check out our entries for both words.What are variants of pyro-?When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, pyro- becomes pyr-, as in pyric. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use article on pyr-.