Broiling

Part of speech: adjective, noun

Definitions

1. Cooking food with very high heat applied directly from above or below, usually in an oven or grill
2. Applying strong radiant heat to quickly cook or brown food, often creating a crispy surface
3. Exposing food to intense heat that comes mainly from radiation to cook it rapidly

Etymology: "Broiling" is simply "broil" with the suffix "-ing" attached, and the suffix has a long pedigree of its own. It descends from an ancient participle ending that passed through Old English as "-ende" and became Middle English "-ynge," the form that eventually settled into modern "-ing." The verb it attaches to, "broil," is the more interesting half of the story, since it began life with a meaning far removed from the grill. The verb "broil" was borrowed from Old French "bruiller," which meant to burn or scorch. The sense of cooking meat over a direct flame grew out of that burning sense. Over time, "broiling" settled into describing the cooking method itself, and it later came to describe the oppressive heat of a summer day, a sense that gently echoes the original idea of scorching.

Synonyms: scorching, sizzling, searing, burning, blistering

Antonyms: cooling, chilling, freezing