burn
A physical injury caused by heat, cold, electricity, radiation or caustic chemicals.
Noun 4 meanings
A physical injury caused by heat, cold, electricity, radiation or caustic chemicals.
“She had second-degree burns from falling in the bonfire.”
A sensation resembling an injury from heat or an analogous force; the quality or nature of a burning sensation caused by capsaicin.
“I dread the burn of the disinfectant where it enters an open wound.”
The act or action of burning something with fire, or by analogous means; the quality or nature of an act of burning.
“They’re doing a monitored burn of the fields.”
A large stream.
Verb 4 meanings
To be consumed by fire or in flames.
“He watched the house burn.”
To warm (something); to put off intense heat; to be hot.
“The heat from the open oven burned the air around me.”
To cause to be consumed by fire; to destroy or otherwise impact with fire or flames.
“We'll burn all this wood by morning.”
To consume, damage, or change the condition of, as if by action of fire or heat; to affect as fire or heat does; to injure with acid or other chemical reactions; to be painful as if by fire or heat; to be hot.
“Be careful, as that chemical is acidic enough to burn you.”
Etymology
From late Middle English burne, birne, metathetic form of brinne, brynne, a variant of brennen, from Old Norse brinna, brenna (“to burn”), from Proto-Germanic *brinnaną (“to burn”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰrenw-, present stem from *bʰrewh₁- (“to boil”). Doublet of brew.
Similar and opposite words
BURN at a glance
BURN has 4 letters and scores 6 points in Scrabble (B 3 + U 1 + R 1 + N 1) and 9 in Words With Friends, before board bonuses. It ranks #2,761 by how often it appears in everyday English. It is valid in ENABLE, NWL2023, Collins/SOWPODS.
Rhymes with burn
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