sizzle

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   to make a hissing sound like food cooking in hot fat

   Rain began to sizzle on the still-hot metal roof.

2. 2
   verb

   to cook or become very hot while making this sound

   The onions sizzled in the pan until their edges turned brown.

3. 3
   noun

   a hissing sound or, informally, an exciting and attractive quality

   The sharp sizzle of the wire was audible across the quiet room.

Probably formed from Middle English sissen, 'to hiss, buzz, or hum,' with the frequentative suffix -le. The sound word first described hissing or frying noises and later developed figurative senses of intense heat, excitement, and attraction.

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