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Webster 1913 Edition

Scorch

Scorch

(skôrch)
,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Scorched
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Scorching
.]
[OE.
scorchen
, probably akin to
scorcnen
; cf. Norw.
skrokken
shrunk up,
skrekka
,
skrökka
, to shrink, to become wrinkled up, dial. Sw.
skråkkla
to wrinkle (see
Shrug
); but perhaps influenced by OF.
escorchier
to strip the bark from, to flay, to skin, F.
écorcher
, LL.
excorticare
; L.
ex
from +
cortex
,
-icis
, bark (cf.
Cork
); because the skin falls off when scorched.]
1.
To burn superficially; to parch, or shrivel, the surface of, by heat; to subject to so much heat as changes color and texture without consuming;
as, to
scorch
linen
.
Summer drouth or singèd air
Never
scorch
thy tresses fair.
Milton.
2.
To affect painfully with heat, or as with heat; to dry up with heat; to affect as by heat.
Lashed by mad rage, and
scorched
by brutal fires.
Prior.
3.
To burn; to destroy by, or as by, fire.
Power was given unto him to
scorch
men with fire.
Rev. xvi. 8.
The fire that
scorches
me to death.
Dryden.

Scorch

,
Verb.
I.
1.
To be burnt on the surface; to be parched; to be dried up.
Scatter a little mungy straw or fern amongst your seedlings, to prevent the roots from
scorching
.
Mortimer.
2.
To burn or be burnt.
He laid his long forefinger on the scarlet letter, which forthwith seemed to
scorch
into Hester’s breast, as if it had been red hot.
Hawthorne.

Webster 1828 Edition

Scorch

SCORCH

, v.t.
1.
To burn superficially; to subject to a degree of heat that changes the color of a thing, or both the color and texture of the surface. Fire will scorch linen or cotton very speedily in extremely cold weather.
2.
To burn; to affect painfully with heat. Scorched with the burning sun or burning sands of Africa.

SCORCH

,
Verb.
I.
To be burnt on the surface; to be parched; to be dried up.
Scatter a little mungy straw and fern among your seedlings, to prevent the roots from scorching.

Definition 2024

scorch

scorch

English

Noun

scorch ‎(plural scorches)

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

Derived terms

Translations

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
    • Prior
      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)
  5. To burn; to destroy by, or as by, fire.
    • Bible, Revelation xvi. 8
      Power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
    • John Dryden
      the fire that scorches me to death

Translations

References

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

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

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