English

Alternative spellings

• bone-fire italbrac obsolete

Etymology

Pronunciation

• a UK /ˈbɒnfaɪə/

Noun

1. A fire in which bones were burned.
2. A fire to burn unwanted or disreputable items or people; proscribed books, heretics etc.
3. A large, controlled outdoor fire, as a signal or to celebrate something.

Derived terms

• bonfire night

Translations

See also

• balefire, implying baleful fire
• bale akin to Old High German balo, Old Norse böl "evil, destruction, disaster"
• bale akin to Old English bœl, Old Norse bál "bonfire, fire"

See also campfire.

See also

• Aggie Bonfire; includes 1999 disaster that killed 12 people when it collapsed during construction
• Need-fire
• Burning Man
• Fire
• Fire ritual
• Bonfire Rally
• Sussex Bonfire Societies

References

External links

• Dancing May Day Through History