St. Anthony was supposed to cure miraculously. Hoblyn. — St. Elmo's fire. See under Saint Elmo.
— To set on fire, to inflame; to kindle. — To take fire, to begin to burn; to fly into a passion.
Fire
(Fire) v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fired ; p. pr. & vb. n. Fring.]
1. To set on fire; to kindle; as, to fire a house or chimney; to fire a pile.
2. To subject to intense heat; to bake; to burn in a kiln; as, to fire pottery.
3. To inflame; to irritate, as the passions; as, to fire the soul with anger, pride, or revenge.
Love had fired my mind.
Dryden. 4. To animate; to give life or spirit to; as, to fire the genius of a young man.
5. To feed or serve the fire of; as, to fire a boiler.
6. To light up as if by fire; to illuminate.
[The sun] fires the proud tops of the eastern pines.
Shak. 7. To cause to explode; as, to fire a torpedo; to disharge; as, to fire a musket or cannon; to fire cannon
balls, rockets, etc.
8. To drive by fire. [Obs.]
Till my bad angel fire my good one out.
Shak. 9. (Far.) To cauterize.
To fire up, to light up the fires of, as of an engine.
Fire
(Fire), v. i.
1. To take fire; to be kindled; to kindle.
2. To be irritated or inflamed with passion.
3. To discharge artillery or firearms; as, they fired on the town.
To fire up, to grow irritated or angry. "He . . . fired up, and stood vigorously on his defense." Macaulay.
Firearm
(Fire"arm`) n. A gun, pistol, or any weapon from which a shot is discharged by the force of an
explosive substance, as gunpowder.
Fireback
(Fire"back`) n. (Zoöl.) One of several species of pheasants of the genus Euplocamus, having
the lower back a bright, fiery red. They inhabit Southern Asia and the East Indies.
Fireball
(Fire"ball`) n. (a) (Mil.) A ball filled with powder or other combustibles, intended to be thrown
among enemies, and to injure by explosion; also, to set fire to their works and light them up, so that movements
may be seen. (b) A luminous meteor, resembling a ball of fire passing rapidly through the air, and sometimes
exploding.
Firebare
(Fire"bare`) n. A beacon. [Obs.] Burrill.
Fire beetle
(Fire" bee`tle) (Zoöl.) A very brilliantly luminous beetle one of the elaters, found in Central and
South America; — called also cucujo. The name is also applied to other species. See Firefly.
