Word
bonfire
Phoneticsbon·fire
US/ˈbɑnˌfaɪɝ/
UK/bˈɒnfaɪə/
Countable noun
Definition
n. a large outdoor fire built for warmth, celebration, or to burn waste. You often see them on holidays or at the end of summer.
n. a large outdoor fire, typically constructed of wood and other combustible materials, used for warmth, celebration, or the disposal of waste.
Examples
“We sat around the bonfire and told stories.”
“The village lit a huge bonfire to celebrate the start of the new year.”
“The flickering light of the bonfire cast long, dancing shadows against the ancient stone walls of the courtyard.”
Examples
simple
“We sat around the bonfire and told stories.”
contextual
“The village lit a huge bonfire to celebrate the start of the new year.”
complex
“The flickering light of the bonfire cast long, dancing shadows against the ancient stone walls of the courtyard.”
Etymology
PIE word *péh₂wr̥ From Middle English bonnefyre (“a fire in which bones are burnt, bonfire”) [and other forms], by surface analysis, bone + fire. Replaced earlier Middle English bale-fyre, from Old English bǣlfȳr (see balefire). The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) notes that bonfires, originally lit as part of midsummer celebrations, were not generally associated with the burning of bones. However, the first edition of the OED (under the title A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles, 1887) stated that “for the annual midsummer ‘banefire’ or ‘bonfire’ in the burgh of Hawick [in Roxburghshire, Scotland], old bones were regularly collected and stored up, down to c. 1800”. The verb is derived from the noun. Cognate with Scots banefire (“bonfire”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B1 PreliminaryIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.4.0–5.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 3.0–3.544–71TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.550–784
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B1 · Intermediate
- Updated
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