pyro-

Also found in:Medical,Acronyms,Encyclopedia.

pyro-

(word root) fire

Examples of words with the root pyro-:pyromaniac

pyro-

orpyr-

pref.

1. Fire; heat:pyrotechnic.

2. Relating to the action of fire or heat:pyrography.

3. Fever:pyrogen.

4. Formed upon heating, by loss of water or another small molecule:pyrosulfuric acid.

[New Latin, from Greekpuro-, frompūr,fire; seepaəwr̥ inIndo-European roots.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

pyro-

orbefore a vowel

pyr-

combining form

1.denoting fire, heat, or high temperature:pyromania;pyrometer.

2. (General Physics) caused or obtained by fire or heat:pyroelectricity.

3. (Chemistry)chem

a.denoting a new substance obtained by heating another:pyroboric acid is obtained by heating boric acid.

b.denoting an acid or salt with a water content intermediate between that of the ortho- and meta- compounds:pyro-phosphoric acid.

4. (Minerals)mineralogy

a.having a property that changes upon the application of heat:pyromorphite.

b.having a flame-coloured appearance:pyroxylin.

[from Gkpur fire]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

pyro-

1. a combining form meaning “fire,” “heat,” “high temperature,” used in the formation of compound words: pyrogen; pyromancy.

a. a combining form used in the names of inorganic acids, the water content of which is intermediate between the ortho and meta forms of an acid: pyrophosphoric acid.

b. a combining form used in the names of the salts of these acids.

Also,esp. beforeh or a vowel,pyr-.

[< Greekpyro-, comb. form ofpŷrfire]

Want to thank TFD for its existence?Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, or visitthe webmaster's page for free fun content.

Link to this page: