pyre

[pahy^uhr]

noun

1. a pile or heap of wood or other combustible material.

2. such a pile for burning a dead body, especially as part of a funeral rite, as in India.

pyre

/ paɪə /

noun

1. a heap or pile of wood or other combustible material, esp one used for cremating a corpse

Word History and Origins

Origin of pyre¹

1650–60; < Latin pyra < Greek pyrá hearth, funeral pile

Word History and Origins

Origin of pyre¹

C17: from Latin pyra, from Greek pura hearth, from pur fire

Example Sentences

Frangello writes, “I long to reach into the past and beg, ‘Don’t throw yourself on the pyre.

From Salon

Powell believed Britain was "literally mad, piling up its own funeral pyre" and that the country was bound to descend into civil war.

From BBC

Horses were often included on early Anglo-Saxon cremation pyres as a sign of status.

From BBC

He was born to pose backlit by a pyre of flaming zombies and does so here, with the hot wind tickling his locks perfectly.

From Los Angeles Times

It is thought the objects may have been burnt on a funerary pyre before being buried, though no human remains were found.

From BBC