To set on fire, ignite, or inflame; possibly to light with fire or cause to burn.
From 'be-' prefix combined with 'fire'. 'Fire' comes from Old English 'fȳr', from Proto-Germanic '*fūr'. The prefix intensifies the action of setting something ablaze or becoming fiery.
Medieval texts used 'befire' metaphorically as well as literally—to 'befire' someone's heart or passion meant to inflame their emotions, showing how early English writers used fire as a universal metaphor for intensity, transformation, and consuming emotion.
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