Burn , the general word, means to effect a change in an object through the action of heat or fire. The object may be changed only slightly, or it may be totally destroyed.

• A cigarette burned the finish on the table; A fire burned the house down.

Although it usually connotes some degree of destruction, burning may accomplish a useful purpose. A householder burns fuel to heat the house. In autumn, a gardener burns leaves to dispose of them. Not only heat but also extreme cold, corrosive chemicals gases, electricity, radiation, friction and the like may cause the kind of surface change or stinging sensation associated with a burn . Hence, acid is said to burn the skin and a cutting wind may make the cheek burn . Burn can also mean to cause a feeling of heat in a part of the body: The hot spices burned his mouth and tongue.

To scald is to burn with a very hot liquid or steam. Thus, the careless cook may scald herself if she spills hot soup or boiling water.

Singe , scorch and char are related in that they mean to burn partially, slightly or superficially. To singe is to burn the surface or ends of something: The fire singed his eyebrows. Singeing is sometimes done deliberately, as to remove bristles or to keep hair from splitting. A cook may singe a plucked chicken to remove pinfeathers by passing the fowl through an open flame. To scorch is to burn something to the point of discolouration, usually by hot metal: She scorched the dress by setting the iron too high for the fabric. Char may imply a more advanced stage of combustion. It means to reduce a substance to carbon, either completely, as in charcoal, or partially: Pieces of charred wood remained after the campfire had burnt out; the charred remains of a burnt-down house.

Sear , brand and cauterize all connote deliberate burning to achieve a definite purpose. All are also used of flesh. Of the three, sear is the most general word, as it can mean both brand and cauterize . Searing involves the subjecting of a surface to intense heat for a very short time. This may have the effect of hardening, sealing, drying up, destroying tissue or leaving an ineradicable imprint.

• Before stewing the beef, the cook seared it over high heat to seal the juices in.

To brand is to sear with a hot iron, burning a mark into the flesh, as to signify ownership. A grazier brands his cattle so that he can identify them if they stray or are stolen. To Cauterize is to sear tissue with a caustic agent or heated iron for curative purposes. A doctor may cauterize a wound to prevent infection.