balefire
[beyl-fahyuh r]
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
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Related Words for balefire
flare, lantern, radar, rocket, alarm, sign, beam, lamp, watchtower, alert, bonfire, lighthouse, heliograph, pharos, lodestar, balefire, guidepostExamples from the Web for balefire
Historical Examples of balefire
A single window in the wing gleamed like a balefire in the rays of the setting sun.
Shapes that Haunt the DuskVarious
Balefire devoured, greediest spirit, those spared not by war out of either folk: their flower was gone.
BeowulfAnonymous
This word was the last which the wise old man harbored in heart ere hot death-waves of balefire he chose.
BeowulfAnonymous
balefire
noun archaic
Word Origin for balefire
C14 bale, from Old English bǣl pyre; related to Old Norse bāl flame, pyre, Sanskrit bhāla brightness
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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