firing

Etymology

noun

1. (ceramics) The process of applying heat or fire, especially to clay, etc., to produce pottery.
   After the pots have been glazed, they go back into the kiln for a second firing.
2. The fuel for a fire.
3. The act of adding fuel to a fire.
   One driver told him that a fireman who did not know the route might easily go "over the side" between Corby and Harringworth, unless warned beforehand of the reverse curves; he himself, in his firing days, used to try so to plan his firing that it was unnecessary to add any more coal while passing over this stretch at speed. 1945 July and August, “Notes and News: "A Nice Day's Work"”, in Railway Magazine, page 235
   The doors are at the right level for firing, which normally is down one side of the firebox at a time, unlike our own practice, which is to fire each side of the firebox with alternate shovelfuls. 1961 February, 'Balmore', “Driving and firing modern French steam locomotives - Part One”, in Trains Illustrated, page 109
4. The discharge of a gun or other weapon.
   He heard the firing and as he walked he felt it in the pit of his stomach as though it echoed on his own diaphragm. 1940, Ernest Hemingway, chapter 43, in For Whom the Bell Tolls, London: Jonathan Cape, page 417
5. The dismissal of someone from a job.
   Even the most seasoned analysts of British politics were struck by the brutality of Ms. May’s hirings and firings. 19 July 2016, Matthew d’Ancona, “Theresa May’s Shock Therapy”, in The New York Times
6. Cauterization.

verb

1. present participle and gerund of fire