pyromaniacal
9.9
Having a very strong urge to set fires
- adjective
- /ˌpaɪrəˈmeɪnɪəkl/
- Specialized
:
piromaniaco
- The detective noted the pyromaniacal clues left behind at the scene of the fire, suggesting that it was intentionally set.
Examples
-
The flames were soon exuberant, leaping twelve to fifteen feet in the air; any pyromaniacal tendencies I may have had were soon satisfied.
Fiction book (1991) -
His pyromaniacal behavior led him to sneak out at night to watch his creations burn brightly in the darkness.
-
Counselors were called to help the child with his pyromaniacal impulses after he set fire to several toys.
Surface Forms
pyromaniacal positive
Morphology
pyromaniacal = pyromaniac (transparent) = pyro + mania + ac + al
The word transparently means 'pertaining to a pyromaniac', and the adjective suffix -al is a standard, predictable formation.
Etymology
Pyromaniacal comes from the parts pyro- meaning 'fire' and mania meaning 'madness', as in the word maniac. So it describes someone who is obsessed with starting fires.
