pyromania

1 9.9

A strong urge to start fires that a person cannot control

noun
/ˌpaɪrəˈmeɪniə/

Specialized

: piromanía

So is pyromania (Ebon 1981).

Examples

There's blindness, lameness, pyromania, learning disabilities.

Bustin' Loose (1981)
I have impulse control disorders listed in the DSM-IV-TR, along with kleptomania, pyromania, pathological gambling, and others.

Blog text (13)
Pyromania is a strange aberration anywhere, but in Palau, it is especially strange.

Academic text (1999)
It should be remembered, however, that the fires of Palau are not pyromania at all but, in fact, represent a redirection of traditional burning practices toward a political ecology of protest.

Academic text (1999)
Stekel (1924) referred to as manias: i.e., dipsomania, narcotomania, kleptomania, or pyromania.

Academic text (1993)
His pyromania led him to start small fires whenever he felt overwhelmed with stress.
After receiving treatment, her pyromania diminished, allowing her to live more peacefully.
Psychiatrists often discuss how pyromania can be linked to past traumatic experiences.

Surface Forms

pyromania singular

pyromanias plural

Morphology

pyromania = mania (semi-transparent) = pyro + mania

The word combines the classical form 'pyro-' meaning fire with 'mania', but the psychiatric sense 'compulsive fire-setting' is specialized rather than fully literal.

Etymology

Pyromania comes from the Greek parts pyro ('fire') and mania ('madness' or 'craze'), so it means a 'craze for fire'. That's why pyromania describes a mental disorder where a person has a strong, uncontrollable urge to start fires.