balefire

English

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balefire

Where it comes from

From Middle English bale-fyre, from Old English bǣlfȳr (“balefire, funeral or sacrificial fire”); equivalent to bale (“funeral pyre”) + fire.

noun balefires

A bonfire, any large outdoor fire (for example those used in a funeral pyre, or in witches' rituals). Rites done on a lakeshore or seashore can be illuminated with balefires of dried driftwood collected prior to the rite.

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noun ritual bonfire

Español	fogata de brujos

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MLA

"balefire." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/balefire. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

balefire. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/balefire

Chicago

"balefire." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/balefire.

BibTeX

@misc{balefire_2026,
  title = {balefire},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/balefire},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}