burn

n. [ See 1st Bourn. ] A small stream. [ Scot. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Burned (bûrnd) or Burnt (bûrnt); p. pr. & vb. n. Burning. ] [ OE. bernen, brennen, v. t., early confused with beornen, birnen, v. i., AS. bærnan, bernan, v. t., birnan, v. i.; akin to OS. brinnan, OFries. barna, berna, OHG. brinnan, brennan, G. brennen, OD. bernen, D. branden, Dan. brænde, Sw. bränna, 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. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

This tyrant fever burns me up. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

This dry sorrow burns up all my tears. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

When the cold north wind bloweth, . . . it devoureth the mountains, and burneth the wilderness, and consumeth the &unr_;&unr_;ass as fire. Ecclus. xliii. 20, 21. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. (Surg.) To apply a cautery to; to cauterize. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

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 one's 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. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. A hurt, injury, or effect caused by fire or excessive or intense heat. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The operation or result of burning or baking, as in brickmaking; as, they have a good burn. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A disease in vegetables. See Brand, n., 6. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Combustible. Cotgrave. [ 1913 Webster ]

p. p. & a. See Burnt. [ 1913 Webster ]

p. p. Burnished. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. One who, or that which, burns or sets fire to anything. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The part of a lamp, gas fixture, etc., where the flame is produced. [ 1913 Webster ]

Bunsen's burner (Chem.), see Bunsen burner. --
Argand burner,
Rose burner, etc. See under Argand, Rose, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. burnet burnet; also, brownish (the plant perh. being named from its color), fr. F. brunet, dim. of brun brown; cf. OF. brunete a sort of flower. See Brunette. ] (Bot.) A genus of perennial herbs (Poterium); especially, Poterium Sanguisorba, the common, or garden, burnet. [ 1913 Webster ]

Burnet moth (Zool.), in England, a handsome moth (Zygæna filipendula), with crimson spots on the wings. --
Burnet saxifrage. (Bot.) See Saxifrage. --
Canadian burnet, a marsh plant (Poterium Canadensis). --
Great burnet,
Wild burnet, Poterium oficinalis (or Sanguisorba oficinalis). [ 1913 Webster ]