Afire

Part of speech: adjective, adverb

Pronunciation: /əˈfaɪɚ/

Definitions

1. Burning with flames or passion; in a state of being consumed by fire or intense emotion
2. Engulfed in flames or actively burning with fire ; experiencing strong feelings or a high level of excitement
3. Currently burning or aflame with visible fire ; filled with passionate emotion or enthusiasm

Etymology: "Afire" is a plain compound: the prefix "a-", meaning "on" or "in", joined to "fire". The phrase "on fire" was the older way of saying the same thing, and "afire" shows the two ideas fused into one word. It appears in Middle English in the 13th century, and its figurative sense, of a person or heart burning with passion, is recorded from the late 14th century. The "a-" prefix is a familiar English device, found in words such as "asleep", "ashore" and "aboard", where it marks a state or position. In "afire" it does the same job: the thing is in the condition of fire, rather than simply being fire. That is why the word often sits after a noun or verb, as in "the forest stood afire", where a plain adjective like "burning" would sound more ordinary.

Synonyms: on fire, burning

Antonyms: extinguished, cold