Burn

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /bɜːn/

Definitions

1. To damage or destroy something through fire or intense heat, or to feel a sharp stinging sensation
2. To set fire to something or be consumed by flames ; to experience a sharp or stinging feeling especially on skin or eyes ; to use resources or energy rapidly or completely ; to create a lasting impression or image by applying heat
3. To cause something to catch fire or to be damaged by flames ; to suffer discomfort like a prickling or smarting sensation ; to expend or exhaust supplies or fuel quickly ; to imprint or scorch a surface by heat or pressure

Etymology: Burn descends from a causative verb built on an ancient root for "to burn," so the word's core sense is literally "to make something burn." Its ancestor, Proto-Germanic "brinnanan," was a strong verb meaning to burn, but over time the sound of the language reshaped the verb. Old English "biernan" and "bærnan" were its forms, and the Old English "bærnan" was the causative version, meaning "to cause to burn" as opposed to simply "to be on fire." Those two forms show how the word split. The intransitive "to be on fire" sense (as in "the house is burning") and the transitive "to set on fire" sense (as in "burn the letters") were once carried by different shapes, and they gradually merged. The Old Norse "brenna" also reached English, and Middle English "brennen" blended with the native forms, which is why modern "burn" carries both senses at once. The sense of stinging pain and of using up resources came later, extending the idea of fire's destructive action to the body and to finite supplies.

Synonyms: scorch, char, ignite, set fire to, incinerate

Antonyms: freeze, cool, extinguish, quench, douse