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Webster's 1913 Dictionary

PYROPHORIC; PYROPHOROUS

Pyr `o *phor "ic, Py *roph "o *rous, a. Etym: [Pyro- + Gr.

Defn: Light-producing; of or pertaining to pyrophorus. Pyrophoric iron (Chem. ), finely reduced iron, which ignites spontaneously on contact with air.

New American Oxford Dictionary

pyrophoric

py ro phor ic |ˌpīrəˈfôrik ˌpaɪroʊˈfɔrɪk | ▶adjective liable to ignite spontaneously on exposure to air. • (of an alloy ) emitting sparks when scratched or struck. ORIGIN mid 19th cent.: from modern Latin pyrophorus, from Greek purophoros ‘fire-bearing, ’ from pur ‘fire ’ + pherein ‘to bear. ’

Oxford Dictionary

pyrophoric

pyrophoric |ˌpʌɪrə (ʊ )ˈfɒrɪk | ▶adjective liable to ignite spontaneously on exposure to air. • (of an alloy ) emitting sparks when scratched or struck. ORIGIN mid 19th cent.: from modern Latin pyrophorus, from Greek purophoros ‘fire-bearing ’, from pur ‘fire ’ + pherein ‘to bear ’.