Fires

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈfaɪ̯ə(ɹ)z/

Definitions

1. The process of burning with visible flames ; occasions when buildings or areas are deliberately or accidentally set ablaze ; acts of terminating someone's employment
2. A chemical reaction that produces heat and light through flames ; specific instances of damaging property by burning ; the formal ending of a person's work position
3. A state of active burning where flames are visible ; events involving uncontrolled or intentional ignition of structures or land ; the removal of an employee from their job position

Etymology: Fire is one of the oldest words in the language: its Proto-Indo-European ancestor, "péh₂wr̥, is reconstructed far back in prehistory, and it is related to Greek "pyr" and Latin "pyra," the root behind "pyre." The most surprising twist is that the noun was once an inanimate word whose living counterpart was a different root entirely, "h₁n̥gʷnis, which survives in English "ignite." In other words, the word for the thing that burns and the word for the thing that is alive were distinct from the start. "Fires" is simply the plural of the noun. The verb "to fire," meaning to set something alight or to launch a projectile, descends from Old English "fȳrian," meaning "to make a fire," formed from the same root through a Proto-West Germanic verb-forming ending. The sense of dismissing an employee grew later out of the older idea of discharging or dispatching someone, so the verb's variety of senses shows how a single concrete act of kindling spread into several meanings.

Synonyms: blazes, flames, conflagrations, infernos, burns

Antonyms: extinguishments, quellings