Finos - Firing

Finos (?), n. pl. [Sp., pl., fr. fino fine.] Second best wool from Merino sheep. Gardner.
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Finpike (?), n. (Zoöl.) The bichir. See .
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Finsen light (?). [After Prof. Niels R. Finsen (b. 1860), Danish physician.] (Med.) Highly actinic light, derived from sunlight or from some form of electric lamp, used in the treatment of lupus and other cutaneous affections.
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Fint (?), 3d pers. sing. pr. of , for findeth. [Obs.] Chaucer.
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Fin-toed (?), a. (Zoöl.) Having toes connected by a membrane; palmiped; palmated; also, lobate.
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Fiord (fy�rd; i or y consonant, § 272), n. [Dan. & Norw. fiord. See .] A narrow inlet of the sea, penetrating between high banks or rocks, as on the coasts of Norway and Alaska. [Written also fjord.]
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Fiorin (?), n. [Cf. Ir. fiothran a sort of grass.] (Bot.) A species of creeping bent grass (Agrostis alba); -- called also fiorin grass.
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Fiorite (?), n. (Min.) A variety of opal occuring in the cavities of volcanic tufa, in smooth and shining globular and botryoidal masses, having a pearly luster; -- so called from Fiora, in Ischia.
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Fioriture (?), n. pl. [It., pl. of fioritura a flowering.] (Mus.) Little flowers of ornament introduced into a melody by a singer or player.
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Fippenny bit (? or ?). [Corruption of five penny bit.] The Spanish half real, or one sixteenth of a dollar, -- so called in Pennsylvania and the adjacent States. [Obs.]
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☞ Before the act of Congress, Feb. 21, 1857, caused the adoption of decimal coins and the withdrawal of foreign coinage from circulation, this coin passed currently for 61/4 cents, and was called in New England a fourpence ha'penny or fourpence; in New York a sixpence; in Pennsylvania, Virginia, etc., a fip; and in Louisiana, a picayune.
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Fipple (fẽr), n. [perh. fr. L. fibula a clasp, a pin; cf. Prov. E. fible a stick used to stir pottage.] A stopper, as in a wind instrument of music. [Obs.] Bacon.
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Fir (fẽr), n. [Dan. fyr, fyrr; akin to Sw. furu, Icel. fura, AS. furh in furhwudu fir wood, G. föhre, OHG. forha pine, vereheih a sort of oak, L. quercus oak.] (Bot.) A genus (Abies) of coniferous trees, often of large size and elegant shape, some of them valued for their timber and others for their resin. The species are distinguished as the balsam fir, the silver fir, the red fir, etc. The Scotch fir is a Pinus.
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☞ Fir in the Bible means any one of several coniferous trees, including, cedar, cypress, and probably three species of pine. J. D. Hooker.
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Fire (fīr), n. [OE. fir, fyr, fur AS. fȳr; akin to D. vuur, OS. & OHG. fiur, G. feuer, Icel. fȳri, fūrr, Gr. py^r, and perh. to L. purus pure, E. pure Cf. , .] 1. The evolution of light and heat in the combustion of bodies; combustion; state of ignition.
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☞ The form of fire exhibited in the combustion of gases in an ascending stream or current is called flame. Anciently, fire, air, earth, and water were regarded as the four elements of which all things are composed.
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2. Fuel in a state of combustion, as on a hearth, or in a stove or a furnace.
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3. The burning of a house or town; a conflagration.
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4. Anything which destroys or affects like fire.
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5. Ardor of passion, whether love or hate; excessive warmth; consuming violence of temper.
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he had fire in his temper. Atterbury.
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6. Liveliness of imagination or fancy; intellectual and moral enthusiasm; capacity for ardor and zeal.
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And bless their critic with a poet's fire. Pope.
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7. Splendor; brilliancy; luster; hence, a star.
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Stars, hide your fires. Shak.
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As in a zodiac
representing the heavenly fires. Milton.
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8. Torture by burning; severe trial or affliction.
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9. The discharge of firearms; firing; as, the troops were exposed to a heavy fire.
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Coloq. Blue fire , Coloq. Red fire , Coloq. Green fire (Pyrotech.), compositions of various combustible substances, as sulphur, niter, lampblack, etc., the flames of which are colored by various metallic salts, as those of antimony, strontium, barium, etc. -- Coloq. Fire alarm (a) A signal given on the breaking out of a fire. (b) An apparatus for giving such an alarm. -- Coloq. Fire annihilator , a machine, device, or preparation to be kept at hand for extinguishing fire by smothering it with some incombustible vapor or gas, as carbonic acid. -- Coloq. Fire balloon . (a) A balloon raised in the air by the buoyancy of air heated by a fire placed in the lower part. (b) A balloon sent up at night with fireworks which ignite at a regulated height. Simmonds. -- Coloq. Fire bar , a grate bar. -- Coloq. Fire basket , a portable grate; a cresset. Knight. -- Coloq. Fire beetle . (Zoöl.) See in the Vocabulary. -- Coloq. Fire blast , a disease of plants which causes them to appear as if burnt by fire. -- Coloq. Fire box , the chamber of a furnace, steam boiler, etc., for the fire. -- Coloq. Fire brick , a refractory brick, capable of sustaining intense heat without fusion, usually made of fire clay or of siliceous material, with some cementing substance, and used for lining fire boxes, etc. -- Coloq. Fire brigade , an organized body of men for extinguished fires. -- Coloq. Fire bucket . See under . -- Coloq. Fire bug , an incendiary; one who, from malice or through mania, persistently sets fire to property; a pyromaniac. [U.S.] -- Coloq. Fire clay . See under . -- Coloq. Fire company , a company of men managing an engine in extinguishing fires. -- Coloq. Fire cross . See . [Obs.] Milton. -- Coloq. Fire damp . See under . -- Coloq. Fire dog . See , in the Vocabulary. -- Coloq. Fire drill . (a) A series of evolutions performed by fireman for practice. (b) An apparatus for producing fire by friction, by rapidly twirling a wooden pin in a wooden socket; -- used by the Hindoos during all historic time, and by many savage peoples. -- Coloq. Fire eater . (a) A juggler who pretends to eat fire. (b) A quarrelsome person who seeks affrays; a hotspur. [Colloq.] -- Coloq. Fire engine , a portable forcing pump, usually on wheels, for throwing water to extinguish fire. -- Coloq. Fire escape , a contrivance for facilitating escape from burning buildings. -- Coloq. Fire gilding (Fine Arts), a mode of gilding with an amalgam of gold and quicksilver, the latter metal being driven off afterward by heat. -- Coloq. Fire gilt (Fine Arts), gold laid on by the process of fire gilding. -- Coloq. Fire insurance , the act or system of insuring against fire; also, a contract by which an insurance company undertakes, in consideration of the payment of a premium or small percentage -- usually made periodically -- to indemnify an owner of property from loss by fire during a specified period. -- Coloq. Fire irons , utensils for a fireplace or grate, as tongs, poker, and shovel. -- Coloq. Fire main , a pipe for water, to be used in putting out fire. -- Coloq. Fire master (Mil), an artillery officer who formerly supervised the composition of fireworks. -- Coloq. Fire office , an office at which to effect insurance against fire. -- Coloq. Fire opal , a variety of opal giving firelike reflections. -- Coloq. Fire ordeal , an ancient mode of trial, in which the test was the ability of the accused to handle or tread upon red-hot irons. Abbot. -- Coloq. Fire pan , a pan for holding or conveying fire, especially the receptacle for the priming of a gun. -- Coloq. Fire plug , a plug or hydrant for drawing water from the main pipes in a street, building, etc., for extinguishing fires. -- Coloq. Fire policy , the writing or instrument expressing the contract of insurance against loss by fire. -- Coloq. Fire pot . (a) (Mil.) A small earthen pot filled with combustibles, formerly used as a missile in war. (b) The cast iron vessel which holds the fuel or fire in a furnace. (c) A crucible. (d) A solderer's furnace. -- Coloq. Fire raft , a raft laden with combustibles, used for setting fire to an enemy's ships. -- Coloq. Fire roll , a peculiar beat of the drum to summon men to their quarters in case of fire. -- Coloq. Fire setting (Mining), the process of softening or cracking the working face of a lode, to facilitate excavation, by exposing it to the action of fire; -- now generally superseded by the use of explosives. Raymond. -- Coloq. Fire ship , a vessel filled with combustibles, for setting fire to an enemy's ships. -- Coloq. Fire shovel , a shovel for taking up coals of fire. -- Coloq. Fire stink , the stench from decomposing iron pyrites, caused by the formation of hydrogen sulfide. Raymond. -- Coloq. Fire surface , the surfaces of a steam boiler which are exposed to the direct heat of the fuel and the products of combustion; heating surface. -- Coloq. Fire swab , a swab saturated with water, for cooling a gun in action and clearing away particles of powder, etc. Farrow. -- Coloq. Fire teaser , in England, the fireman of a steam emgine. -- Coloq. Fire water , a strong alcoholic beverage; -- so called by the American Indians. -- Coloq. Fire worship , the worship of fire, which prevails chiefly in Persia, among the followers of Zoroaster, called Chebers, or Guebers, and among the Parsees of India. -- Coloq. Greek fire . See under . -- Coloq. On fire , burning; hence, ardent; passionate; eager; zealous. -- Coloq. Running fire , the rapid discharge of firearms in succession by a line of troops. -- Coloq. St. Anthony's fire , erysipelas; -- an eruptive fever which St. Anthony was supposed to cure miraculously. Hoblyn. -- Coloq. St. Elmo's fire . See under . -- Coloq. To set on fire , to inflame; to kindle. -- Coloq. To take fire , to begin to burn; to fly into a passion.
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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.
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2. To subject to intense heat; to bake; to burn in a kiln; as, to fire pottery.
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3. To inflame; to irritate, as the passions; as, to fire the soul with anger, pride, or revenge.
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Love had fired my mind. Dryden.
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4. To animate; to give life or spirit to; as, to fire the genius of a young man.
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5. To feed or serve the fire of; as, to fire a boiler.
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6. To light up as if by fire; to illuminate.
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[The sun] fires the proud tops of the eastern pines. Shak.
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7. To cause to explode; as, to fire a torpedo; to disharge; as, to fire a rifle, pistol, or cannon; to fire cannon balls, rockets, etc.
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8. To drive by fire. [Obs.]
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Till my bad angel fire my good one out. Shak.
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9. (Far.) To cauterize.
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10. to dismiss from employment, a post, or other job; to cause (a person) to cease being an employee; -- of a person. The act of firing is usually performed by that person's supervisor or employer. “You can't fire me! I quit!”
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Coloq. To fire up , 1. to light up the fires of, as of an engine; also, figuratively, to start up any machine. -- 2. to render enthusiastic; -- of people.
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Fire, v. i. 1. To take fire; to be kindled; to kindle.
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2. To be irritated or inflamed with passion.
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3. To discharge artillery or firearms; as, they fired on the town.
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Coloq. To fire up , to grow irritated or angry. “He . . . fired up, and stood vigorously on his defense.” Macaulay.
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fire-on-the-mountain n. 1. poinsettia (Euphoria cyathophora) of the U. S. and eastern Mexico; often confused with Euphoria heterophylla.
Syn. -- painted leaf, Mexican fire plant, Euphoria cyathophora.
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Firearm (fīrärm), n. A gun, pistol, or any weapon from which a shot is discharged by the force of an explosive substance, as gunpowder.
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Fireback (fīrbăk), 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.
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Fireball (?), n. 1. (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.
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2. A rare phenomenon often associated with or caused by lightning, resembling a luminous ball of fire passing rapidly through the air or along solid objects, then disappearing, and sometimes exploding. It seldom lasts more than a few seconds. Also called ball lightning, globe lightning, globular lightning, or kugelblitz.
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3. A large mass of fire caused by a large explosion, as of inflammable liquids or a nuclear device. The larger fireballs, as of nuclear explosions, rise seemingly intact into the air and may reach high altitudes while still glowing.
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Firebare (?), n. A beacon. [Obs.] Burrill.
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Fire beetle (?). (Zoöl.) A very brilliantly luminous beetle (Pyrophorus noctilucus), one of the elaters, found in Central and South America; -- called also cucujo. The name is also applied to other species. See .
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Firebird (?), n. (Zoöl.) The Baltimore oriole.
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Fireboard (?), n. A chimney board or screen to close a fireplace when not in use.
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Firebote (?), n. (O. Eng. Law) An allowance of fuel. See .
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Firebrand (?), n. 1. A piece of burning wood. L'Estrange.
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2. One who inflames factions, or causes contention and mischief; an incendiary. Bacon.
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firebrat n. (Zoöl.) an insect (Thermobia domestica) which is a type of bristletail that lives in warm moist areas e.g. around furnaces.
Syn. -- Thermobia domestica.
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firebreak n. a narrow field that has been cleared to check the spread of a prairie fire or forest fire.
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firebrick n. a brick made of fire clay, used for lining e.g. furnaces and chimneys.
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firebug n. a criminal who illegaly sets fire to property; an arsonist.
Syn. -- arsonist, incendiary.
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2. a brightly colored type of true bug that can exude a stain.
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firebush n. 1. An evergreen South American shrub Streptosolen jamesonii) having showy trumpet-shaped orange flowers; grown as an ornamental or houseplant.
Syn. -- marmalade bush, Streptosolen jamesonii.
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2. A densely branched Eurasian plant (Bassia scoparia) whose foliage turns purple-red in autumn; also called burning bush.
Syn. -- summer cypress, burning bush, belvedere, Bassia scoparia, Kochia scoparia.
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fireclay n. a heat-resistant clay.
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firecracker (?), n. A small explosive device consisting of a paper or cardboard cylinder having only sufficient explosive mixture to make a loud bang, ignited by a short fuse, and used mostly as an entertainment or in celebrations. Same as ., n., 3.
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Firecrest (?), n. (Zoöl.) A small European kinglet (Regulus ignicapillus), having a bright red crest; -- called also fire-crested wren.
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firedamp n. a mixture of gases (mostly methane) that forms in coal mines and becomes explosive when mixed with air. It is a source of serious hazard in coal mining operations.
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Firedog (?), n. A support for wood in a fireplace; an andiron.
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Firedrake (fīrdrāk), n. [AS. fȳrdraca; fȳr fire + draca a dragon. See , and a dragon.] [Obs.] 1. A fiery dragon. Beau. & Fl.
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2. A fiery meteor; an ignis fatuus; a rocket.
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3. A worker at a furnace or fire. B. Jonson.
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Fire-fanged (?), a. [Fire + fanged seized.] Injured as by fire; burned; -- said of manure which has lost its goodness and acquired an ashy hue in consequence of heat generated by decomposition.
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firefighter, fire fighter (fīrfītẽr), n. A person whose occupation it is to go to the scene of an unwanted fire and extinguish it; a member of a fire company; a fireman{1} or a woman who fights fires. Some towns have few or no professional firefighters, and fire suppression is conducted mostly by groups of volunteers, called volunteer firefighters. The term fireman{1} was at one time synonymous with firefighter, until women began to engage in the same occupation.
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Firefish (?), n. (Zoöl.) A singular marine fish of the genus Pterois, family Scorpænidæ, of several species, inhabiting the Indo-Pacific region. They are usually red, and have very large spinose pectoral and dorsal fins.
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Fireflaire (?), n. [Fire + Prov. E. flaire a ray.] (Zoöl.) A European sting ray of the genus Trygon (T. pastinaca); -- called also fireflare and fiery flaw.
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Fireflame (?), n. (Zoöl.) The European band fish (Cepola rubescens).
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Firefly (?), n.; pl. Fireflies (�). (Zoöl.) Any luminous winged insect, esp. luminous beetles of the family Lampyridæ.
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☞ The common American species belong to the genera Photinus (especially Photinus pyralis) and Photuris, in which both sexes are winged. The name is also applied to luminous species of Elateridæ. See .
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Firefly luciferin (?), n. (Biochem.) a type of produced by the firefly Photinus pyralis. Its structure has been elucidated, and chemically it is recognized as 4,5-Dihydro-2-(6-hydroxy-2-benzothiazol-2-yl)-4-thiazolecarboxylic acid, C11H8N3O2S2. It has found use in a very sensitive assay for ATP, in which concentrations of ATP as low as 10-11 molar can be detected. [MI11]
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firehouse n. a building housing firemen and the apparatus they use to extinguish fires.
Syn. -- fire station.
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fire hydrant n. an upright hydrant that can supply large volumes of water to use in fighting a fire. They are commonly placed at intervals at the street edge of a sidewalk, spaced for convenience in suppressing fires in towns.
Syn. -- fireplug, plug.
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Fireless, a. Destitute of fire.
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firelight n. the light of a fire (especially in a fireplace); as, lovers sitting together in the firelight.
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firelighter n. (a piece of) a substance that burns easily and can be used to start a coal or coke fire.
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Firelock, n. An old form of gunlock, as the flintlock, which ignites the priming by a spark; perhaps originally, a matchlock. Hence, a gun having such a lock.
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Fireman (?), n.; pl. Firemen (-men). 1. A man whose business is to extinguish fires in towns; a member of a fire company.
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2. A man who tends the fires, as of a steam engine; a stocker.
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Fire-new (?), a. Fresh from the forge; bright; quite new; brand-new. Charles reade.
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Your fire-new stamp of honor is scarce current. Shak.
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Fireplace (?), n. The part a chimney appropriated to the fire; a hearth; -- usually an open recess in a wall, in which a fire may be built.
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fireplug n. an upright hydrant that can supply large volumes of water to use in fighting a fire. They are commonly placed at intervals at the street edge of a sidewalk for convenience in suppressing fires in towns.
Syn. -- fire hydrant, plug.
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firepower n. 1. (military) The relative capacity for delivering weapons fire on a target; as, the battleship has more firepower than a cruiser.
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2. [figurative] A measure of the resources available to a group which allows them to achieve their objectives; capacity for action.
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Fireproof (?), a. Proof against fire; incombustible.
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Fireproofing (?), n. The act or process of rendering anything incombustible; also, the materials used in the process.
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fire-raising n. malicious burning to destroy property; arson. [Mostly British usage]
Syn. -- arson, incendiarism.
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Firer (?), n. One who fires or sets fire to anything; an incendiary. [R.] R. Carew.
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fire-resistant fire-resisting fire-resistive adj. Not able to burn or able to burn only with difficulty. [Narrower terms: noncombustible (vs. combustible), incombustible]
Syn. -- fireproof.
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fire-retardant adj. able to reduce combustibility or slow the spread of fire; -- of substances that are added to combustible materials to make them less combustible.
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fire retardant n. a substance applied or added to materials or objects, so as to reduce combustibility or slow the spread of fire.
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Fireroom, n. Same as , below.
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fire sale n. 1. a sale of objects damaged by fire, usually at much reduced prices.
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2. A sale of objects or assets at much reduced prices, often performed to raise money rapidly.
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fire-sale price n. a price much lower than normal market price; as, the Reagan administration sold off valuable mineral and timber resources at fire-sale prices.
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Fire-set (?), n. A set of fire irons, including, commonly, tongs, shovel, and poker.
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Fireside (?), n. A place near the fire or hearth; home; domestic life or retirement.
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Firestone (?; 110), n. [AS. fȳrstān flint; fȳr fire + stān stone.] 1. Iron pyrites, formerly used for striking fire; also, a flint.
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2. A stone which will bear the heat of a furnace without injury; -- especially applied to the sandstone at the top of the upper greensand in the south of England, used for lining kilns and furnaces. Ure.
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Firetail (?), n. (Zoöl.) The European redstart; -- called also fireflirt. [prov. Eng.]
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fire-tree n. a terrestrial evergreen shrub or small tree (Nuytsia floribunda) of West Australia having brilliant yellow-orange flowers; parasitic on roots of grasses.
Syn. -- flame tree, flame-tree, Christmas tree, Nuytsia floribunda.
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Firewarden (?), n. An officer who has authority to direct in the extinguishing of fires, or to order what precautions shall be taken against fires; -- called also fireward.
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Fireweed (?), n. (Bot.) (a) An American plant (Erechthites hiercifolia), very troublesome in spots where brushwood has been burned. (b) The great willow-herb (Epilobium spicatum).
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firewheel n. An annual of the central U. S. (Gaillardia pulchella) having showy long-stalked yellow flower heads marked with scarlet or purple in the center.
Syn. -- blanket flower, Indian blanket, Gaillardia pulchella.
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Firewood (fīrw�d), n. Wood for fuel.
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firework (fīrwûrk), n. 1. A device for producing a striking display of light, or a figure or figures in plain or colored fire, by the combustion of materials that burn in some peculiar manner, as gunpowder, sulphur, metallic filings, and various salts; also called a pyrotechnic device. The most common feature of fireworks is a paper or pasteboard tube filled with the combustible material. A number of these tubes or cases are often combined so as to make, when kindled, a great variety of figures in fire, often variously colored. The skyrocket is a common form of firework. The art of designing fireworks for purposes of entertainment is called . The name firework is also given to various combustible preparations used in war.

2. pl. A pyrotechnic exhibition; an entertainment consisting of the discharge of fireworks{1}. [Obs. in the sing.]
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Night before last, the Duke of Richmond gave a firework. Walpole.
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Fireworm (?), n. (Zoöl.) The larva of a small tortricid moth which eats the leaves of the cranberry, so that the vines look as if burned; -- called also cranberry worm.
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Firing, n. 1. The act of discharging firearms.
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2. The mode of introducing fuel into the furnace and working it. Knight.
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3. The application of fire, or of a cautery. Dunglison.
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4. The process of partly vitrifying pottery by exposing it to intense heat in a kiln.
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5. Fuel; firewood or coal. [Obs.] Mortimer.
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Coloq. Firing iron , an instrument used in cauterizing.
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