Meaning & use
pyre
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Meanings
nouncountableliterary
A heap of wood or other fuel built so that a body can be burned on it at a funeral.
Grammar: Takes a: a pyre; plural pyres. Often in funeral pyre.
Patterns
- on a pyre
The body was placed on a funeral pyre at dawn.
Mourners gathered around the pyre by the river.
In the epic, the hero's pyre burned for a day.
nouncountableliterary
Any big pile of material set on fire, such as one used to burn something.
Grammar: Less common sense, used in narrative or description.
The villagers built a pyre of old furniture.
A great pyre of books was lit in the square.
Word forms
| plural | pyres |
|---|
Common combinations
- funeral pyre
- The king was laid on a funeral pyre.
- light a pyre
- They lit the pyre at sunset.
- burn on a pyre
- The body was burned on a pyre.
- build a pyre
- Villagers built a pyre of logs.
Synonyms and how they differ
- bonfire
- A large outdoor fire, often festive, with no funeral meaning.
- pile
- Only the heap; it does not suggest burning.
Word family
- funeral pyre noun
- the full phrase most often used
Commonly confused: pyre or pier? pyre or pyro-?
pyre vs pier
A pier is a structure extending over water; it sounds similar in some accents but is unrelated.
pyre vs pyro-
The prefix pyro- means fire, linked in origin to pyre.
Practice
In ancient tales, the dead hero was burned on a ___.
Choose one answer.
A pyre is a pile of wood for a cremation. The other nouns are structures unrelated to burning the dead.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pyre”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.