pyrophorus

P3Y4R1O1P3H4O1R1U1S1

noun

a substance capable of catching fire spontaneously on exposure to the air, especially in a finely divided state

OriginAncient Greek πῦρ →
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Meanings

nounpyrophorus (uncountable)
  1. uncountablea substance capable of catching fire spontaneously on exposure to the air, especially in a finely divided state

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekπῦρ“fire”
  2. Englishpyrophorus

Ancient Greek πῦρ (pûr, “fire”) + φέρω (phérō, “to bear”). Analyzable as pyro- + -phorus

More words from Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

porphyrous
Cite this entry
APA

pyrophorus. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pyrophorus

MLA

“pyrophorus.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pyrophorus. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pyrophorus,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pyrophorus.

Source: pyrophorus on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.