Meaning & use

pyre

noun·Advanced

A pile of wood on which a dead body is ceremonially burned, especially as part of a funeral rite.

See it in a sentence

Mourners gathered as the funeral pyre was lit at sunset beside the river.

In the story, the fallen warrior's body was placed on a pyre and set ablaze.

A note on using this word

Pyre almost always appears in the phrase 'funeral pyre' and is associated with traditional or ceremonial cremation rather than modern crematoriums.

Words with a similar meaning

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