Fire vs Lightning - What's the difference?
fire | lightning |
(uncountable) A (usually self-sustaining) chemical reaction involving the bonding of oxygen with carbon or other fuel, with the production of heat and the presence of flame or smouldering.
(countable) Something that has produced or is capable of producing this chemical reaction, such as a campfire.
* , chapter=8
, title= (countable) The often accidental occurrence of fire in a certain place.
(uncountable, alchemy) One of the four basic elements.
).
(countable, British) A heater or stove used in place of a real fire (such as an electric fire).
(countable) The elements necessary to start a fire.
(uncountable) The bullets or other projectiles fired from a gun.
Strength of passion, whether love or hate.
* Atterbury
Liveliness of imagination or fancy; intellectual and moral enthusiasm.
* (Alexander Pope)
Splendour; brilliancy; lustre; hence, a star.
* (William Shakespeare)
* (John Milton)
(countable) A button (on a joypad, joystick or similar device) usually used to make a video game character fire a weapon.
(lb) To set (something) on fire.
* Chapter 20:
*:"Then I slipped up again with a box of matches, fired' my heap of paper and rubbish, put the chairs and bedding thereby, led the gas to the affair, by means of an india-rubber tube, and waving a farewell to the room left it for the last time." ¶ "You '''fired''' the house!" exclaimed Kemp. ¶ "' Fired the house. It was the only way to cover my trail—and no doubt it was insured."
*1907 , (Jack London), (The Iron Heel)
*:It was long a question of debate, whether the burning of the South Side ghetto was accidental, or whether it was done by the Mercenaries; but it is definitely settled now that the ghetto was fired by the Mercenaries under orders from their chiefs.
(lb) To heat without setting on fire, as ceramic, metal objects, etc.
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*
*:So this was my future home, I thought! Certainly it made a brave picture. I had seen similar ones fired -in on many a Heidelberg stein. Backed by towering hills,a sky of palest Gobelin flecked with fat, fleecy little clouds, it in truth looked a dear little city; the city of one's dreams.
(lb) To drive away by setting a fire.
*(William Shakespeare) (c.1564–1616)
*:Till my bad angel fire my good one out.
(lb) To terminate the employment contract of (an employee), especially for cause (such as misconduct or poor performance).
*1969 , (Vladimir Nabokov), , Penguin 2011, p.226:
*:The first, obvious choice was hysterical and fantastic Blanche – had there not been her timidity, her fear of being ‘fired ’.
(lb) To shoot (a device that launches a projectile or a pulse of stream of something).
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(lb) To shoot a gun, a cannon or a similar weapon.
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To shoot; to attempt to score a goal.
*{{quote-news, year=2010, date=December 29, author=Mark Vesty, work=BBC
, title= To cause an action potential in a cell.
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(lb) To forcibly direct (something).
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To initiate an event (by means of an event handler).
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To inflame; to irritate, as the passions.
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*(John Dryden) (1631-1700)
*:Love had fired my mind.
To animate; to give life or spirit to.
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To feed or serve the fire of.
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To light up as if by fire; to illuminate.
*(William Shakespeare) (c.1564–1616)
*:[The sun] fires the proud tops of the eastern pines.
(lb) To cauterize.
To catch fire; to be kindled.
To be irritated or inflamed with passion.
A flash of light produced by short-duration, high-voltage discharge of electricity within a cloud, between clouds, or between a cloud and the earth.
* 1901 , E. L. Morris, The Child's Eden , page 16:
A discharge of this kind.
* 1881 , Daniel Pierce Thompson, The Green Mountain Boys , page 281:
(figuratively) Anything that moves very fast.
* 1918 , (Edgar Rice Burroughs), , chapter V:
The act of making bright, or the state of being made bright; enlightenment; brightening, as of the mental powers.
(Webster 1913)
Extremely fast or sudden.
Moving at the speed of lightning.
(impersonal, childish, or, nonstandard) To produce lightning.
* 1916 , Dorothy Canfield Fisher, Understood Betsy
* 1968 , Dan Greenburg, Chewsday: a sex novel
* 1987 , Tricia Springstubb, Eunice Gottlieb and the unwhitewashed truth about life
* 1988 , Carlo Collodi, Roberto Innocenti, The adventures of Pinocchio
As nouns the difference between fire and lightning
is that fire is the sector of the economy including finance, insurance and real estate businesses while lightning is a flash of light produced by short-duration, high-voltage discharge of electricity within a cloud, between clouds, or between a cloud and the earth.As an adjective lightning is
extremely fast or sudden.As a verb lightning is
(impersonal|childish|or|nonstandard) to produce lightning.fire
English
Noun
Mr. Pratt's Patients, passage=We toted in the wood and got the fire going nice and comfortable. Lord James still set in one of the chairs and Applegate had cabbaged the other and was hugging the stove.}}
- He had fire in his temper.
- And bless their critic with a poet's fire .
- Stars, hide your fires .
- As in a zodiac representing the heavenly fires .
Derived terms
* all-fire * add fuel to the fire * back fire * balefire * ball of fire * baptism of fire * bonfire * brush-fire * brush fire * bushfire * campfire * catch fire * ceasefire * covering fire * electric fire * fiery * fight fire with fire * fire alarm * fire and brimstone * fire away * firearm * fireball * fire bay * fire beater * fireblast * firebolt * firebomb * firebrand * firebreak * fire brigade * firebug * fireclay * fire company * firecracker * fire department * firedog * fire drill * fire eater * fire engine * fire escape * fire exit * fire extinguisher * fire-fight * firefight * firefighter * fire flapper * firefly * fireguard * fire hose * firehouse * fire hydrant * fire in the belly * firelighter * fireman * fireplace * fireplug * fireproof * fire resistant * fire retardant * fireshine * fire ship * fire station * fireside * fire sign * fire-starter * fire step * firestop * fire swab * fire swatter * fire teaser * fire trench * fire truck * fire up * firewire * firewoman * firewood * firework * forest fire * friendly fire * gas fire * grassfire * grass fire * Greek fire * hang fire * heap coals on fire * hold your fire * hold someone's feet to the fire * irons in the fire * light someone's fire * no smoke without fire * on fire * open fire * ordeal of fire * play with fire * Promethean fire * pull out of the fire * rapid fire * real fire * St Anthony's fire * St Elmo's fire * trial by fireVerb
(fir)Wigan 2-2 Arsenal, passage=Andrey Arshavin equalised with a superb volley into the corner before Nicklas Bendtner coolly fired Arsenal in front.}}
Synonyms
* (set on fire) See set on fire * (sense) let off, loose (archery), shoot, * (terminate the employment of) dismiss, be given one's cards, be given the boot]], be given the elbow, [[heave-ho, be given the old heave-ho, let go, make redundant, sack, throw out * (sense) open fire, shoot * See alsoAntonyms
* (to terminate the employment) hireDerived terms
* fire away * fire off * fire up * firing * overfired * ! * underfired * unfirable * you're firedStatistics
*External links
* (wikipedia "fire")lightning
Noun
(en-noun)- Although we did not see the lightning , we did hear the thunder.
- It was the thought of hot July and August days, when the clouds piled up like woolly mountains, and lightnings streaked the sky.
- The lightning was hot enough to melt the sand.
- That tree was hit by lightning .
- The rain at length ceased; and the lightnings , as they played along the black parapet of clouds, that lay piled in the east, shone with less dazzling fierceness,
- Nobs, though, was lightning by comparison with the slow thinking beast and dodged his opponent's thrust with ease. Then he raced to the rear of the tremendous thing and seized it by the tail.
Quotations
* 2008 , Kathy Clark, Stand By Your Man , page 280: *: Manny drove a few miles per hour under the speed limit, entranced by the awesome display of lightning streaking out of the clouds toward earth.Derived terms
* ball lightning * Jewish lightning * greased lightning * lightning bug * lightning bolt * lightning conductor * lightning detector * lightning in a bottle * lightning rod * sheet lightning * upward lightningCoordinate terms
* thunderboltAdjective
(-)Verb
(en verb)- Or if it thundered and lightninged , Aunt Frances always dropped everything she might be doing and held Elizabeth Ann tightly in her arms until it was all over.
- The next day, though it is not only raining but thundering and lightninging as well, antiquing is seen by three-fourths of those present as a lesser evil than free play.
- "Hey!" yelled Reggie, pulling her back. "Get in here! It's lightninging . I don't want a charcoal-broiled friend!"
- I don't know, Father, but believe me, it has been a horrible night — one that I'll never forget. It thundered and lightninged , and I was very hungry.