Meanings
adjective
- Spontaneously igniting in air, especially when in a finely divided state.
Synonyms: pyrophorous
- Producing sparks, especially by friction.
Synonyms: pyrophorous
- fire investigationAble to oxidize with exposure to atmospheric oxygen at normal temperatures.
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveSpontaneously igniting in air, especially when in a finely divided state.
Similar
adjectiveProducing sparks, especially by friction.
Similar
Origin
- Ancient Greekπυροφόρος“fire-bearing”
- Englishpyrophoric
From Ancient Greek πυροφόρος (purophóros, “fire-bearing”) + -ic. Analyzable as pyro- + -phore + -ic.
More words from Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian самозапалващ се, пускащ искри
- самозапалващ се (samozapalvašt se)spontaneously igniting in air
- пускащ искри (puskašt iskri)producing sparks
Catalan pirofòric
- pirofòricspontaneously igniting in air
Czech samovznětlivý
- samovznětlivýspontaneously igniting in air
French pyrophorique
- pyrophoriquespontaneously igniting in air
Cite this entry
APA
pyrophoric. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pyrophoric
MLA
“pyrophoric.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pyrophoric. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pyrophoric,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pyrophoric.
Source: pyrophoric on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.