bonfire

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈbɒnfaɪəɹ/; /ˈbɒnfaɪə/ (UK); /ˈbɑnˌfaɪɚ/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English bonefire,^[2][3] a compound of bon “bone” and fire,^[4][2][5] that is, a fire with bones for fuel.^[3][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

It first meant a great open-air fire in which bones were burned.^[5][6]

Semantic evolution

The original sense became obsolete and was forgotten by the 18th century.^[5] The word was used for funeral pyres and for fires in which heretics or banned books were burned,^[6][1] and from the mid-16th century for a large open-air fire for celebration or amusement.^[5][6] By the 17th century it could be a large fire for any purpose.^[5]

Timeline

• late 14th century – bonfir, banefire;^[5] the OED’s first quotation is 1483.^[6]
• 1493 – fires on certain anniversaries, such as St John’s Eve.^[6]
• 1530 – fires celebrating a public event.^[6]
• 1552 – a funeral pyre (obsolete).^[6]
• 1581 – a fire for burning heretics or books.^[6]
• 1605 – verb.^[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A large fire built outdoors, for celebration, as a signal, or to burn rubbish.

Related words

• bone
• fire

References

1. [1] [2] Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. [1] [2] Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
3. [1] [2] Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
4. [1] The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Boston: Houghton Mifflin
5. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press