# balefire

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. A bonfire, any large outdoor fire (for example those used in a funeral pyre, or in witches' rituals).

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

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/balefire