pyro-, pyr-

A medical agent that relieves pain and stimulates the healing of burns.

A reference to anything of use in preventing or healing burns or pyrosis (heartburn which is a burning sensation in the epigastric region of the abdomen).

1. The highest part of heaven, believed in ancient Greek and Roman times to contain pure fire or light and believed by some Christians to be the dwelling place of God: Nancy read that the empyrean was a place where the angels lived and decided that she would like to go there when she died.
2. The sky or celestial sphere; the visible heavens; the firmament: In the summer, Virginia's family often went to the desert to camp under the empyrean so they could enjoy all of the beautiful stars and comets during the cloudless nights. © ALL rights are reserved.

Go to this Word A Day Revisited Index
so you can see more of Mickey Bach's cartoons.

Divination by observing fire and smoke, or the objects, on a sacrificial fire: In empyromancy eggs, flour, and incense were used for foretelling the future, as well as shoulder blades of the sacrificed victim.

A burning sensation of the tongue.

The thermal decomposition of hydrocarbons in a petroleum refinery at high temperatures, high pressures, or both.

Fire thorn or any of various thorny shrubs of the genus Pyracantha bearing small white flowers followed by hard red or orange-red berries.

A shrub of the genus Pyracantha; the fire thorn.

Fire thorn or a thorny evergreen bush of the genus Pyracantha and the family Rosaceae: The pyracantha, native to Europe and Asia, is usually cultivated for its bright orange or red fruit that are used for ornamental purposes.

1. Wood which has been heaped for burning a dead body; such as, a funeral rite.
2. A pile of burning material, especially a pile of wood on which a dead body is ceremonially cremated

1. Measuring effective terrestrial radiation or long wave, or infra-red, radiation originating by thermal emission from the earth's surface and/or its atmosphere which is distinguished from solar radiation.
2. An instrument that measures radiation from the earth's surface transmitted into space.

1. An apparatus for measuring the heating effects of the sun.
2. An instrument that measures the intensity of direct solar radiation.
3. A general term for the class of actinometers (name for any instrument used to measure the intensity of radiant energy, particularly that of the sun) that measure the intensity of direct solar radiation.
4. An instrument that measures the total intensity of direct solar radiation received by the earth.

Actinometers may be classified, accordingly to the quantities that they measure, in the following manner:

• Pyrheliometer, which measures the intensity of direct solar radiation.
• Pyranometer, which measures global radiation (the combined intensity of direct solar radiation and diffuse sky radiation)
• Pyrgeometer, which measures the effective terrestrial radiation.

Fire stone or a common iron sulfide mineral with a brassy metallic luster; used as a source of iron and sulfur.

1. Composed chiefly of rock fragments of volcanic origin.
2. A churning cauldron or a pyroclastic flow.

There's an explosive arc, reminiscent of the way a solar flare arcs up and then collapses with a splash.

Composed chiefly of rock fragments of explosive origin, especially those associated with explosive volcanic eruptions.

Volcanic ash, obsidian, and pumice are examples of pyroclastic materials.