English Inherited Two Words for Fire and Kept One
Fire is the process of burning. Indo-European had two words for it, and English chose the inanimate one.
Fire is the process of combustion, producing heat and light. Indo-European appears to have had two words for it: one treating fire as an inanimate substance, which gives Greek *pyr* and English *fire*, and one treating it as a living force, which gives Latin *ignis* and English *ignite*. English kept the first as its everyday word and borrowed the second for technical use. *To fire* a worker is American, from the 1880s, probably from the older sense of discharging a weapon.
- Combustion. *A wood fire.*
- To discharge a weapon. *Fire the gun.*
- To dismiss. *He was fired.*
- Ignite — the other root. *Ignite.*
- Old English — *fyr*. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | fire | A fire. |
| Plural | fires | Fires. |
| Verb | fire | Firing. |
| Related | pyre | A pyre. |
| Greek | pyr | Fire. |
- They lit a fire outside.Burning.
- He fired the rifle twice.Weapon.
- Ignis gives us ignite.Etymology.
The two ancient words for fire
- The inanimate word gives Greek *pyr*, English *fire* and *pyre*
- The animate word gives Latin *ignis*, English *ignite* and *igneous*
- Slavic languages kept the animate one as their everyday word
- Germanic languages kept the inanimate one
- English has both, one native and one borrowed
Old English *fyr*, of Germanic origin, related to Greek *pyr*.
Why do fire and ignite look unrelated?
They descend from two different ancient words for fire, one treating it as a substance and one as a living force.
Why does fire mean to dismiss someone?
American English from the 1880s, most likely from the older sense of discharging, as a weapon is discharged.