Burn \Burn\ (b[^u]rn), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Burned} (b[^u]rnd)
or {Burnt} (b[^u]rnt); p. pr. & vb. n. {Burning}.] [OE.
bernen, brennen, v. t., early confused with beornen, birnen,
v. i., AS. b[ae]rnan, bernan, v. t., birnan, v. i.; akin to
OS. brinnan, OFries. barna, berna, OHG. brinnan, brennan, G.
brennen, OD. bernen, D. branden, Dan. br[ae]nde, Sw.
br[aum]nna, brinna, Icel. brenna, Goth. brinnan, brannjan (in
comp.), and possibly to E. fervent.]
1. To consume with fire; to reduce to ashes by the action of
heat or fire; -- frequently intensified by up: as, to burn
up wood. "We'll burn his body in the holy place." --Shak.
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2. To injure by fire or heat; to change destructively some
property or properties of, by undue exposure to fire or
heat; to scorch; to scald; to blister; to singe; to char;
to sear; as, to burn steel in forging; to burn one's face
in the sun; the sun burns the grass.
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3. To perfect or improve by fire or heat; to submit to the
action of fire or heat for some economic purpose; to
destroy or change some property or properties of, by
exposure to fire or heat in due degree for obtaining a
desired residuum, product, or effect; to bake; as, to burn
clay in making bricks or pottery; to burn wood so as to
produce charcoal; to burn limestone for the lime.
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4. To make or produce, as an effect or result, by the
application of fire or heat; as, to burn a hole; to burn
charcoal; to burn letters into a block.
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5. To consume, injure, or change the condition of, as if by
action of fire or heat; to affect as fire or heat does;
as, to burn the mouth with pepper.
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This tyrant fever burns me up. --Shak.
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This dry sorrow burns up all my tears. --Dryden.
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When the cold north wind bloweth, . . . it devoureth
the mountains, and burneth the wilderness, and
consumeth the ??ass as fire. --Ecclus.
xliii. 20, 21.
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6. (Surg.) To apply a cautery to; to cauterize.
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7. (Chem.) To cause to combine with oxygen or other active
agent, with evolution of heat; to consume; to oxidize; as,
a man burns a certain amount of carbon at each
respiration; to burn iron in oxygen.
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{To burn}, {To burn together}, as two surfaces of metal
(Engin.), to fuse and unite them by pouring over them a
quantity of the same metal in a liquid state.
{To burn a bowl} (Game of Bowls), to displace it
accidentally, the bowl so displaced being said to be
burned.
{To burn daylight}, to light candles before it is dark; to
waste time; to perform superfluous actions. --Shak.
{To burn ones fingers}, to get one's self into unexpected
trouble, as by interfering the concerns of others,
speculation, etc.
{To burn out},
(a) to destroy or obliterate by burning. "Must you with
hot irons burn out mine eyes?" --Shak.
(b) to force (people) to flee by burning their homes or
places of business; as, the rioters burned out the
Chinese businessmen.
{To be burned out}, to suffer loss by fire, as the burning of
one's house, store, or shop, with the contents.
{To burn up}, {To burn down}, to burn entirely.
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