balefire
English
Etymology
From Middle English bale-fyre, from Old English bǣlfȳr (“balefire, funeral or sacrificial fire”); equivalent to bale (Etymology 2) + fire.
Noun
balefire (plural balefires)
- An outdoor fire used in witches' rituals.
- 2002, Marilyn F. Daniel, Kitchen Witchery, Weiser, →ISBN, page 236:
- Rites done on a lakeshore or seashore can be illuminated with balefires of dried driftwood collected prior to the rite.
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Related terms
- bale
- fire
See also
- bonfire
- pyre
Anagrams
- afebrile, fireable