At first glance, the term bonfire may seem to be derived from the French word for “good,” bon, combined with the word fire. Early dictionaries, such as Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary of the English Language and Webster’s Dictionary, originally supported this theory. However, this interpretation does not align with historical spelling rules and was later corrected in the early twentieth century. The first part of the word actually comes from the English word bone, as it was customary to burn bones (yes, you can do that) in honor of certain saints. Over time, the original meaning was lost and the e was removed from the word due to its similarity with the French adjective.
