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pyromania

/ˈpaɪroʊˌmeɪniə/

It is never a good idea to leave a person who suffers from pyromania alone with a box of matches, since pyromania is a strong urge to start fires.

Manias, compulsions or obsessions, are rarely good things, and this one is especially undesirable: an uncontrollable impulse to set fires. The pyr- part, from Greek for "fire," appears in pyramid, pyrotechnic, and empyreal; the English word fire is also distantly related. The mania part means "madness" in Greek, and "fire madness" is a good way to think of pyromania.

Definitions of pyromania

noun
an uncontrollable desire to set fire to things

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type of:
cacoethes, mania, passion
an irrational but irresistible motive for a belief or action

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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘pyromania'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback

Word Family

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The ancients believed that the universe was composed of five basic elements: earth, air, fire, water, and sky. The Greek and Latin words for these elements still show up in our language today. Learn these words that come from the Greek word pyr, meaning "fire." Here are links to our complete set of Elements of the Universe lists: Cosm, Cosmo ("Universe") / Terr, Terra ("Earth") / Geo ("Earth") / Hydr, Hydro ("Water") / Aqua ("Water") / Ign, Igni ("Fire") / Pyr, Pyro ("Fire") / Aer, Aero ("Air") / Aether ("Sky") / Aster, Astro ("Star") / Sol ("Sun")