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.
Till my bad angel fire my good one out. --Shak.
{To fire up}, to light up the fires of, as of an engine.
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.
Note: 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.
2. Fuel in a state of combustion, as on a hearth, or in a
stove or a furnace.
3. The burning of a house or town; a conflagration.
4. Anything which destroys or affects like fire.
5. Ardor of passion, whether love or hate; excessive warmth;
consuming violence of temper.
he had fire in his temper. --Atterbury.
6. Liveliness of imagination or fancy; intellectual and moral
enthusiasm; capacity for ardor and zeal.
And bless their critic with a poet's fire. --Pope.
7. Splendor; brilliancy; luster; hence, a star.
Stars, hide your fires. --Shak.
As in a zodiac representing the heavenly fires.
--Milton.
8. Torture by burning; severe trial or affliction.
9. The discharge of firearms; firing; as, the troops were
exposed to a heavy fire.
{Blue fire}, {Red fire}, {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.
{Fire alarm}
(a) A signal given on the breaking out of a fire.
(b) An apparatus for giving such an alarm.
{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.
{Fire balloon}.
(a) A balloon raised in the air by the buoyancy of air
heated by a fire placed in the lower part
Awaiting what command their mighty chief Had to
impose. --Milton.
2. The possession or exercise of authority.
Command and force may often create, but can never
cure, an aversion. --Locke.
3. Authority; power or right of control; leadership; as, the
forces under his command.
4. Power to dominate, command, or overlook by means of
position; scope of vision; survey.
The steepy stand Which overlooks the vale with wide
command. --Dryden.
5. Control; power over something; sway; influence; as, to
have command over one's temper or voice; the fort has
command of the bridge.
He assumed an absolute command over his readers.
--Dryden.
6. A body of troops, or any naval or military force or post,
or the whole territory under the authority or control of a
particular officer.
{Word of command} (Mil.), a word or phrase of definite and
established meaning, used in directing the movements of
soldiers; as, {aim}; {fire}; {shoulder arms}, etc.
Syn: Control; sway; power; authority; rule; dominion;
sovereignty; mandate; order; injunction; charge; behest.
See {Direction}.