scorch
(skôrch)
[Middle English scorchen, possibly of Scandinavian originOld Norse skorpna, to shrink, be shriveled.]
verb: scorched, scorch·ing, scorch·es.
transitive verb
- To burn superficially so as to discolor or damage the texture of. See synonyms at burn1
- To wither or parch with intense heat.
- To destroy (land and buildings) by or as if by fire so as to leave nothing salvageable to an enemy army.
- To subject to severe censure; excoriate.
intransitive verb
- To become scorched or singed.
- To go or move at a very fast, often excessively fast rate.
noun
- A slight or surface burn.
- A discoloration caused by heat.
- Brown spotting on plant leaves caused by fungi, heat, or lack of water.
derivatives
- scorch́ing·ly
- adverb