Dictionary
Thesaurus
Medical
Scrabble®
Spanish Central
Browse DictionaryBrowse Thesaurus
Get our free apps!iPhone•iPad•Android
Games
Word of the Day
Video
Blog: Words at Play
My Faves
Dictionary

balefire

noun bale·fire \ˈbāl-ˌfī(-ə)r\

Definition of BALEFIRE

:  an outdoor fire often used as a signal fire
ADVERTISEMENT

Origin of BALEFIRE

Middle English, from Old English bǣlfȳr funeral fire, from bǣl pyre + fȳr fire
First Known Use: before 12th century

Rhymes with BALEFIRE

attire, backfire, bemire, catch fire, cross fire, denier, desire, entire, for hire, fox fire, Greek fire, grey friar, hang fire, hellfire, live wire, on fire, prior, rimfire, sapphire, sea fire, snow tire, town crier, trip wire, umpire, watch fire, white friar

Browse

Next Word in the Dictionary: balefulPrevious Word in the Dictionary: baleen whaleAll Words Near: balefire
ADVERTISEMENT
10 Charming Words for Nasty People
Put-downs with flair
Learn More
When "Literally" isn't, well, literal
How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts.
Watch Now
Know what this is?
Test your vocab with our fun, fast game
Go Play
Fear of cats?
Ailurophobia, and 9 other unusual fears
Learn More
Join Us
Merriam-Webster
on Facebook
Merriam-Webster
on Twitter
Bookstore: Digital and Print
Merriam-Webster references for Mobile, Kindle, print, and more.
See All
Other Merriam-Webster Dictionaries