needfire

[ need-fahyuhr ]

noun
  1. luminescence, as of rotted or decayed wood.

Origin of needfire

1
First recorded in 1525–35; need + fire

Words Nearby needfire

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use needfire in a sentence

  • needfire was then obtained by friction, and all the fires were rekindled from what was regarded as the sacred flame.

  • The last time the “needfire” was used in the Keswick neighbourhood, Mr. William Wilson says, was in 1841.

  • The term “needfire” seems to be a corruption of “neatfire,” neat cattle being an old and common term.

  • I never heard of the use of the needfire in the Marsh, though it was, I believe, used on the wolds not many miles off.

    Balder The Beautiful, Vol. I. | Sir James George Frazer
  • As thou knowest, it seemed to me that I was watching two sparkles from the extinguished needfire wheel.

    The Dove in the Eagle's Nest | Charlotte M. Yonge