scorch

scorch

English

Etymology

From Middle English scorchen, scorcnen (“to make dry; parch”), perhaps an alteration of earlier *scorpnen, from Old Norse skorpna (“to shrivel up”)[1].

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /skɔːtʃ/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /skɔɹt͡ʃ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)tʃ

Noun

scorch (countable and uncountable, plural scorches)

1. A slight or surface burn.
2. A discolouration caused by heat.
3. (phytopathology) Brown discoloration on the leaves of plants caused by heat, lack of water or by fungi.

Synonyms

• (slight burn): singe

Derived terms

• scorched earth
• scorchy

 

Translations

A slight or surface burn

Bulgarian: обгаряне (obgarjane) Finnish: kärventymä Italian: bruciacchiatura f, strinatura f, bruciatura (it) f, scottatura (it) f Portuguese: chamuscada (pt) f Russian: ожо́г (ru) m (ožóg)

A discolouration caused by heat

Dutch: een verkleuring veroorzaakt door hitte Finnish: kärventymä, palanut kohta Italian: strinatura f

Brown discoloration on the leaves of plants caused by heat, lack of water or by fungi

Finnish: kuivunut kohta Italian: imbrunimento m

Verb

scorch (third-person singular simple present scorches, present participle scorching, simple past and past participle scorched)

1. (transitive) To burn the surface of something so as to discolour it
2. (transitive) To wither, parch or destroy something by heat or fire, especially to make land or buildings unusable to an enemy
   • 1709, Matthew Prior, Pleasure

     Lashed by mad rage, and scorched by brutal fires.

3. (ergative) (To cause) to become scorched or singed
4. (intransitive) To move at high speed (so as to leave scorch marks on the ground, physically or figuratively).
   • 1898, H.G. Wells, The War of the Worlds, London: William Heinemann, page 289:

     Men on cycles, lean-faced, unkempt, scorched along every country lane, shouting of unhoped deliverance, shouting to gaunt, staring figures of despair.

5. To burn; to destroy by, or as by, fire.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, Revelation 16:8:

     Power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.

   • 1681, John Dryden, The Spanish Fryar: Or, the Double Discovery. […], London: […] Richard Tonson and Jacob Tonson, […], OCLC 6484883, (please specify the page number):

     the fire that scorches me to death

6. (transitive) To attack with bitter sarcasm or virulence.
7. (intransitive, colloquial, dated) To ride a bicycle furiously on a public highway.

Translations

to burn the surface of something so as to discolour it

Bulgarian: обгарям (bg) (obgarjam) Chinese: Mandarin: 烤焦 (zh) Dutch: schroeien (nl), verzengen (nl) Finnish: paahtaa (fi), korventaa (fi), kärventää (fi) French: roussir (fr), brûler (fr) Galician: chamuscar, torrar (gl), esturruxar German: verbrennen (de) Hungarian: perzsel (hu) Ido: bruletar (io) Irish: tíor Isan: please add this translation if you can Italian: bruciacchiare (it), scottare (it) Latin: adūrō (la) Maori: ngunu, hunuhunu Mongolian: please add this translation if you can Persian: پرهودن‎ (fa) (parhudan), پیهودن‎ (fa) (peyhudan) Portuguese: chamuscar (pt) Russian: обжига́ть (ru) impf (obžigátʹ), обже́чь (ru) pf (obžéčʹ), пали́ть (ru) impf (palítʹ), спали́ть (ru) pf (spalítʹ), опаля́ть (ru) impf (opaljátʹ), опали́ть (ru) pf (opalítʹ), выжига́ть (ru) impf (vyžigátʹ), вы́жечь (ru) pf (výžečʹ) Sanskrit: प्लोषति (sa) (ploṣati) Spanish: chamuscar (es) Swedish: bränna (sv) Thai: please add this translation if you can

to wither, parch or destroy something by heat or fire

Azerbaijani: ütmək Bulgarian: изгарям (bg) (izgarjam) Dutch: verschroeien (nl) Finnish: polttaa (fi) Galician: torrar (gl), queimar (gl) German: verbrennen (de) Ido: bruletar (io) Italian: bruciare (it), incendiare (it), incenerire (it), ardere (it), fare tabula rasa Korean: 질주 (ko) (jilju) Latin: urere Maori: rangirangi Polish: przypiekać (pl) Portuguese: queimar (pt)

to (cause to) become scorched or singed

Bulgarian: изгарям се (izgarjam se) Dutch: verzengen (nl) Finnish: paahtaa (fi), korventaa (fi), kärventää (fi) (cause); paahtua, korventua (fi), kärventyä (become) French: roussir (fr), brûler (fr) Galician: chamuscar Ido: bruletar (io) Italian: scottarsi Portuguese: chamuscar (pt) Russian: выгора́ть (ru) impf (vygorátʹ), вы́гореть (ru) pf (výgoretʹ), опаля́ться (ru) impf (opaljátʹsja), опали́ться (ru) pf (opalítʹsja)

to move at high speed

Bulgarian: карам лудо (karam ludo) Chinese: Mandarin: 疾驰 (zh) Finnish: paahtaa (fi), kaahata (fi) German: rasen (de)

to burn; to destroy by, or as by, fire

Finnish: polttaa (fi), paahtaa (fi)

to attack with bitter sarcasm or virulence

Finnish: hiillostaa (fi)

See also

• livid

References

1. Douglas Harper (2001–2023), “scorch”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.