scorch C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes US /skɔrtʃ/ UK /skɔːtʃ/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 verb to burn the surface of something so as to discolor or singe it The iron, left too long, began to scorch the linen shirt. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 verb · to burn the surface of... singesearcharburnblackenparchscald ↔ Opposites freezechill Word family Derived forms scorchingscorcherscorched Etymology AI details From Middle English scorchen, of uncertain origin, perhaps from Old French escorchier ('to strip off the skin') or from a Scandinavian source related to skorpna ('to shrivel'). Topics Actions & Processes External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # scorch **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** verb **IPA (US):** /skɔrtʃ/ **IPA (UK):** /skɔːtʃ/ ## Meanings 1. to burn the surface of something so as to discolor or singe it ## Examples - The iron, left too long, began to scorch the linen shirt. ## Synonyms - singe - sear - char - burn - blacken - parch - scald ## Antonyms - freeze - chill ## Derived Forms - scorching - scorcher - scorched ## Etymology From Middle English scorchen, of uncertain origin, perhaps from Old French escorchier ('to strip off the skin') or from a Scandinavian source related to skorpna ('to shrivel'). ## AI Etymology Scorch comes from Middle English scorchen, of uncertain origin, perhaps from Old French escorchier ('to strip off the skin') or from a Scandinavian source related to skorpna ('to shrivel'). Older glosses in the chain include "to strip off the skin" and "to shrivel", which help explain the semantic range of the modern word. Morphologically, scorch is best read as borrowing and uncertain formation, yielding an English verb and noun shaped by both form history and later usage. In current English it functions as a verb and noun, with the sense "to burn the surface of something so as to discolor or singe it". English derivatives include scorching, scorcher, and scorched. The result is an English verb and noun whose etymology preserves the older forms while supporting the word's specialized modern meaning. ## Topics - Actions & Processes markdown