Pyrotechny

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The craft involving the design and creation of fireworks involves expertise in creating explosive visual displays for entertainment purposes
2. A specialized skill focuses on producing pyrotechnic effects through the inventive assembly of explosive materials and designs for events
3. The art and science of designing and constructing fireworks encompasses the knowledge of handling explosives to create stunning visual displays for celebrations

Etymology: Pyrotechny is a close relative of "pyrotechnics" and "pyrotechnic," and the chain of parts explains its meaning. The first piece, "pyro-," comes from the Ancient Greek "pûr," meaning fire, which passed into Latin as "pyr." The second piece, "tech," comes from Greek "technē," meaning art or craft, the same root behind "technique" and "technology." The ending "-y" is an English suffix that turns the pair into a noun naming a practice, so the word literally means the craft of fire. The source does not give a first recorded date for this form, so the word's age is best judged from its parts. Because each element is a classical Greek or Latin building block, it was assembled in English from those pieces rather than inherited from antiquity, and the ancient Greeks and Romans had no word for fireworks as such.