SCORCHING

scorching

(adjective) hot and dry enough to burn or parch a surface; “scorching heat”

scorching

(adverb) capable of causing burns; “it was scorching hot”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Adjective

scorching (comparative more scorching, superlative most scorching)

Very hot.

Bitterly sarcastic; scathing; withering.

(Of speed when driving, running, etc.) very high.

Verb

scorching

present participle of scorch

Noun

scorching (plural scorchings)

The act or result of something being scorched.

Source: Wiktionary


Scorch"ing, a.

Definition: Burning; parching or shriveling with heat.

– Scorch"ing*ly, adv.

– Scorch"ing*ness, n.

SCORCH

Scorch, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Scorched; p. pr. & vb. n. Scorching.] Etym: [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 singed 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, v. 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 scoch into Hester's breast, as if it had been red hot. Hawthorne.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

4 April 2025

GUILLOTINE

(verb) kill by cutting the head off with a guillotine; “The French guillotined many Vietnamese while they occupied the country”


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