Where does “bonfire” come from?
Bonfire comes from Middle English bonefire, a compound of bone and fire referring to a large outdoor fire where bones were burned.
bonfire (English): A fire in which bones are burned; A fire to burn...
Definitions
- A fire in which bones are burned; A fire to burn...
Ancestry of “bonfire”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | bonnefyre | A fire in which bones were burned, bonfire |
| 2 | Middle English | bon | bone |
| 3 | Old English | bān | bone, tusk; the bone of a limb |
| 4 | Arabic | بان | to separate, to become distinct, to sunder; to be... |
| 5 | Ottoman Turkish | بان | ban; keeper, tender, ward; ben tree, horseradish... |
| 6 | Ottoman Turkish | باڭ | — |
| 7 | Persian | بنگ | hashish, narcotic made from "Cannabis sativa";... |
| 8 | Middle Persian | 𐭡𐭭𐭢 | henbane |