Definition of "fire" []

• A rapid, persistent chemical change that releases heat and light and is accompanied by flame, especially the exothermic oxidation of a combustible substance. (noun)
• Burning fuel or other material: a cooking fire; a forest fire. (noun)
• Burning intensity of feeling; ardor. See Synonyms at passion. (noun)
• Enthusiasm. (noun)
• Luminosity or brilliance, as of a cut and polished gemstone. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The fire itself is referred to as the ‘fire incident.'"
• "For example, utter the words: "A house is my fire," and observe the comparative duration of time in the pronunciation of each word, the comparative stress, and the relative pitch (e.g. of _a_ and _fire_)."
• "On her return, seeing her mistress on fire, she immediately gave an alarm; and some people coming to her assistance, one of them endeavored to extinguish the flames with his hands, _but they adhered to them as if they had been dipped in brandy or oil on fire_."