burn

== English == === Alternative forms === born (Northumbria) === Pronunciation === (UK) (Received Pronunciation) enPR: bûn, IPA(key): /bɜːn/ (Northumbria) IPA(key): /bɔːn/ (General American) enPR: bûrn, IPA(key): /bɝn/ Homophone: Bern Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)n === Etymology 1 === From Middle English bernen (collateral form of brennen), from Old English birnan (“to burn”), metathesis from Proto-West Germanic *brinnan, from Proto-Germanic *brinnaną (“to burn”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰrenw-, present stem from *bʰrewh₁-. Doublet of brew. Cognate with Cimbrian prönnan (“to burn”), Dutch barnen, branden (“to burn”), German brinnen (“to burn”), Luxembourgish brennen (“to burn”), Vilamovian brīn (“to burn”), Yiddish ברענען (brenen, “to burn”), Danish brænde (“to burn”), Faroese, Icelandic brenna (“to burn”), Norwegian Bokmål brenne (“to burn”), Norwegian Nynorsk brenna, brenne (“to burn”), Swedish brinna (“to burn”), Gothic 𐌱𐍂𐌹𐌽𐌽𐌰𐌽 (brinnan, “to burn”). See also Middle Irish brennim (“drink up”), bruinnim (“bubble up”); also Middle Irish bréo (“flame”), Albanian burth (“Cyclamen hederifolium, mouth burning”), Sanskrit भुरति (bhurati, “moves quickly, twitches, fidgets”). More at brew. ==== Noun ==== burn (countable and uncountable, plural burns) A physical injury caused by heat, cold, electricity, radiation or caustic chemicals. A sensation resembling such an injury. The act of burning something with fire. (slang) An intense non-physical sting, as left by shame or an effective insult. (slang) An effective insult, often in the expression sick burn (excellent or badass insult). Physical sensation in the muscles following strenuous exercise, caused by build-up of lactic acid. (uncountable, UK, chiefly prison slang) Tobacco. (computing) The writing of data to a permanent storage medium like a compact disc or a ROM chip. The operation or result of burning or baking, as in brickmaking. (uncountable) A disease in vegetables; brand. (aerospace) The firing of a spacecraft's rockets in order to change its course. ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Translations ===== ==== Verb ==== burn (third-person singular simple present burns, present participle burning, simple past and past participle burned or (chiefly Commonwealth) burnt or (obsolete) brent) (transitive) To cause to be consumed by fire. Synonyms: burn, cinder, forsweal, incinerate, singe, torch; see also Thesaurus:incinerate (intransitive) To be consumed by fire, or in flames. Synonyms: combust, go up; see also Thesaurus:burn (transitive) To overheat so as to make unusable. (intransitive) To become overheated to the point of being unusable. (transitive) To make or produce by the application of fire or burning heat. (transitive) To injure (a person or animal) with heat or chemicals that produce similar damage. Synonyms: scathe, vitriolize (transitive, surgery) To cauterize. (ambitransitive) To sunburn. (transitive) To consume, damage, or change the condition of, as if by action of fire or heat; to affect as fire or heat does. (intransitive) To be hot, e.g. due to embarrassment. a. 1542, Thomas Wyatt, “What menythe thys” in the Devonshire Manuscript, folio 12 verso: In ſlumbers oft for fere I quake / For hete & cold I burne & ſhake / For lake of ſlepe my hede dothe ake / What menys thys (chemistry, transitive) To cause to combine with oxygen or other active agent, with evolution of heat; to consume; to oxidize. (chemistry, dated) To combine energetically, with evolution of heat. (transitive, computing) To write data to a permanent storage medium like a compact disc or a ROM chip. (transitive, computing, by extension) To render subtitles into a video's content while transcoding it, making the subtitles part of the image (hardsubs). (transitive, slang) To betray. Synonyms: knife, sell, stab in the back; see also Thesaurus:betray (transitive, slang) To insult or defeat. (transitive) To waste (time); to waste money or other resources. Synonyms: fritter, squander c. 1897, anonymous (lyrics and music), “Hallelujah, I’m a Bum”: Oh, why don’t you save all the money you earn? / If I didn’t eat, I​’d have money to burn. In certain games, to approach near to a concealed object which is sought. (intransitive, curling) To accidentally touch a moving stone. (transitive, card games) In pontoon, to swap a pair of cards for another pair, or to deal a dead card. (photography, videography) To make an area of an image darker (when processing photographs in a darkroom, this is accomplished by increasing the exposure of that area to light). Coordinate term: dodge (intransitive, physics, of an element) To be converted to another element in a nuclear fusion reaction, especially in a star. (intransitive, slang, card games, gambling) To discard. (transitive, slang) To shoot someone with a firearm. (transitive, espionage) To compromise (an agent's cover story). (transitive, espionage) To blackmail. (intransitive, slang, US) To desire or ache for (something); to focus on attaining (something). ===== Conjugation ===== ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Related terms ===== brimstone combust ===== Descendants ===== Sranan Tongo: bron Aukan: boon ===== Translations ===== === Etymology 2 === From Northern Middle English burn, from Old English burne, burna (“spring, fountain”), Proto-West Germanic *brunnō, from Proto-Germanic *brunnô, *brunō. Cognate with Scots burn (“stream”), Cimbrian, Mòcheno prunn (“well, spring”), Dutch bron (“well”), German Bronnen, Brun, Brunnen (“well”), Luxembourgish Buer, Bur (“well”), Yiddish ברונעם (brunem, “well”), Danish brønd (“well”), Faroese brunnur, bruður (“well”), Icelandic brunnur (“well”), Norwegian Bokmål, Scanian brønn (“well”), Norwegian Nynorsk brunn, brønn (“well”), Swedish brunn (“well”), Gothic 𐌱𐍂𐌿𐌽𐌽𐌰 (brunna, “source, wellspring”), Crimean Gothic brunna (“spring, fountain, source”). Also Albanian burim (“spring, fountain”), Ancient Greek φρέαρ (phréar, “well, reservoir”), Old Armenian աղբիւր (ałbiwr, “fount”). Doublet of bourn. More at brew. ==== Noun ==== burn (plural burns) (Northern England, Scotland) A large stream. ===== Derived terms ===== Burn Bridge (possibly) Burnmouth Burnside ===== Related terms ===== bourn ===== Translations ===== === References === Douglas Harper (2001–2026), “burn”, in Online Etymology Dictionary. “burn” in Webster’s Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary: Based on Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, 7th edition, Springfield, Mass.: G[eorge] & C[harles] Merriam, 1963 (1967 printing), →OCLC. Northumberland Words, English Dialect Society, R. Oliver Heslop, 1893–4 == Middle English == === Noun === burn (Early Scots, Yorkshire) alternative form of bourne == Nyunga == === Noun === burn wood === References === 1886, C. F. Armstrong (Edward Micklethwaite Curr, ed.), The Australian Race: Its Origins, Languages, Customs, Place of Landing in Australia, and the routes by which it spread itself over that continent == Scots == === Etymology === Inherited from Middle Scots burn, burne, from Early Scots burn, from Old English burne, burna (“spring, fountain”). Cognate with West Frisian boarne, Dutch bron, German Brunnen; also Albanian burim (“spring, fountain”), Ancient Greek φρέαρ (phréar, “well, reservoir”), Old Armenian աղբիւր (ałbiwr, “fount”). === Noun === burn (plural burns) A small river or large stream ==== References ==== “burn”, in The Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries, 2004–present, →OCLC.