burner

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a device or part of a device in which fuel burns to produce heat

   Set the pan on the front burner and lower the flame.

2. 2
   noun

   a person or machine that burns a particular material

   A charcoal burner tended the covered mound throughout the night.

3. 3
   noun

   a device used to write data to an optical disc

   The old computer still has a DVD burner.

From burn + the agent or instrument suffix -er. It replaced related Middle English brennar and brennere. The basic formation can denote either one who burns something or a device in which burning occurs; the optical-disc sense extends the verb burn to recording data.

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