Blaze

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /bleɪz/

Definitions

1. A bright flame or fire that burns fiercely and emits intense light and heat ; to mark or outline a trail or path by cutting marks on trees or other objects ; to move rapidly or with strong intensity through a space or course
2. A large, bright flame characterized by strong light and heat emission ; the act of marking a route visibly to guide or direct others ; to proceed quickly or powerfully in a particular direction
3. An intense and visible flame producing considerable light and heat ; the process of creating trail markers for navigation ; to progress with great speed or force through an area or undertaking

Etymology: Old English speakers used "blæse" for a torch, a firebrand or a lamp, a thing that burned rather than a spreading fire. The sense of a bright, roaring flame came later, so the noun that now means a big fire began as a word for a single light carried in the hand. The same Germanic root reached English through several neighbours. Low German "blas" and Middle High German "blas" both meant a candle, torch or flame, showing that the torch sense was shared across the continent. Its ultimate Indo-European source carried the idea of shining or being white, which is why a bright light and a pale mark sit so close together in the word's history. The "white mark" sense arrived separately. Around 1639 English borrowed a word for a pale patch on an animal's face, probably from Dutch or Middle Low German, and this is the source of the horse with a blaze. The verb to blaze, meaning to burn brightly or to mark a trail by cutting a white patch into bark, grew from that noun.

Synonyms: fire, flame, conflagration, burn, light

Antonyms: extinguish, douse, smother, quench, suffocate