BURN, v.t. pret. and pp. burned or burnt. [L. pruna, and perhaps, furnus, fornaz, a furnace. The primary sense is, to rage, to act with violent excitement.] 1. To consume with fire; to reduce to ashes by the action of heat or fire; frequently with up; as, to burn up wood.2. To expel the volatile parts and reduce to charcoal by fire; as, to burn wood into coal. Hence, in popular language, to burn a kiln of wood, is to char the wood.3. To cleanse of soot by burning; to inflame; as, to burn a chimney; an extensive use of the word.4. To harden in the fire; to bake or harden by heat; as, to burn bricks or a brick kiln.5. To scorch; to affect by heat; as, to burn the clothes or the legs by the fire; to burn meat or bread in cookery.6. To injure by fire; to affect the flesh by heat.7. To dry up or dissipate; with up; as, to burn up tears. 8. To dry excessively; to cause to wither by heat; as,the sun burns the grass or plants.9. To heat or inflame; to affect with excessive stimulus; as, ardent spirits burn the stomach. 10. To affect with heat in cookery, so as to give the food a disagreeable taste. Hence the phrase burnt to. 11. To calcine with heat or fire; to expel the volatile matter from substances, so that they are easily pulverized; as, to burn oyster shells, or lime-stone. 12. To affect with excess of heat; as, the fever burns a patient. 13. To subject to the action of fire; to heat or dry; as, to burn colors. To burn up, to consume entirely by fire. To burn out, to burn till the fuel is all consumed. BURN, v.i. To be on fire; to flame; as, the mount burned with fire. 1. To shine; to sparkle.O prince! O wherefore burn your eyes?2. To be inflamed with passion or desire; as, to burn with anger or love.3. To act with destructive violence, as fire. Shall thy wrath burn like fire?4. To be in commotion; to rage with destructive violence.The groan still deepens and the combat burns.5. To be heated; to be in a glow; as, the face burns.6. To be affected with a sensation of heat, pain or acidity; as, the heart burns.7. To feel excess of heat; as, the flesh burns by a fire; a patient burns with a fever.To burn out, to burn till the fuel is exhausted and the fire ceases. BURN, n. A hurt or injury of the flesh caused by the action of fire. 1. The operation of burning or baking, as in brickmaking; as, they have a good burn.
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