needfire

American  

[need-fahy^uhr] / ˈnidˌfaɪər /

noun

1. spontaneous combustion.

2. luminescence, as of rotted or decayed wood.

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Etymology

Origin of needfire

First recorded in 1525–35; need + fire

Example Sentences

In 1788, when the stock of any considerable farmer was seized with the murrain, he would send for one of the charm doctors to superintend the raising of a needfire.

From The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction Volume 12, No. 323, July 19, 1828 by Various

Once a year the needfire was so lighted, and all the hearths of the village were rekindled from the blaze thus obtained.

From Early Britain Anglo-Saxon Britain by Allen, Grant

At times of public calamities and distress, the practice of kindling needfire was resorted to.

From The Mysteries of All Nations Rise and Progress of Superstition, Laws Against and Trials of Witches, Ancient and Modern Delusions Together With Strange Customs, Fables, and Tales by Grant, James, archaeologist

First, the remnants of a very primitive savage faith, represented by the sanctity of animals and plants, by Totemism, by the needfire, and by the use of amulets, charms, and spells.

From Early Britain Anglo-Saxon Britain by Allen, Grant

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.

From Balder the Beautiful, Volume I. A Study in Magic and Religion: the Golden Bough, Part VII., The Fire-Festivals of Europe and the Doctrine of the External Soul by Frazer, James George, Sir