pyre

American  

[pahy^uhr] / paɪər /

noun

1. a pile or heap of wood or other combustible material.

2. such a pile for burning a dead body, especially as part of a funeral rite, as in India.

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pyre British  

/ paɪə /

noun

1. a heap or pile of wood or other combustible material, esp one used for cremating a corpse

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Etymology

Origin of pyre

1650–60; < Latin pyra < Greek pyrá hearth, funeral pile

Example Sentences

Frangello writes, “I long to reach into the past and beg, ‘Don’t throw yourself on the pyre.

From Salon

Horses were often included on early Anglo-Saxon cremation pyres as a sign of status.

From BBC

He was born to pose backlit by a pyre of flaming zombies and does so here, with the hot wind tickling his locks perfectly.

From Los Angeles Times

It is thought the objects may have been burnt on a funerary pyre before being buried, though no human remains were found.

From BBC

I distinctly remember the heat and fumes from 37 funeral pyres burning simultaneously under the April sun at a Delhi crematorium.

From BBC