burning
Noun · AdjectiveOpen English WordNet
Noun (6)
- the act of burning something“the burning of leaves was prohibited by a town ordinance”Synonyms: combustionType of change of integrityKinds arson, incineration, ignition
- pain that feels hot as if it were on fireSynonyms: burnType of pain, hurting
- a process in which a substance reacts with oxygen to give heat and lightSynonyms: combustionType of oxidation, oxidizationKinds fire, internal combustion, deflagration
- execution by electricitySynonyms: electrocutionType of execution, executing
- execution by fireSynonyms: burning at the stakeType of execution, executingKinds auto-da-fe
- a form of torture in which cigarettes or cigars or other hot implements are used to burn the victim's skinType of torture, torturing
Adjective (1)
- of immediate import“burning issues of the day”Opposite unimportantSimilar important, of import
What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz
Webster's Dictionary (1913)
1. That burns; being on fire; excessively hot; fiery.
2. Consuming; intense; inflaming; exciting; vehement; powerful; as, burning zeal.
Like a young hound upon a burning scent.— John Dryden
Burning bush Botany, an ornamental shrub (Euonymus atropurpureus), bearing a crimson berry.
The act of consuming by fire or heat, or of subjecting to the effect of fire or heat; the state of being on fire or excessively heated.
Burning fluid, any volatile illuminating oil, as the lighter petroleums (naphtha, benzine), or oil of turpentine (camphine), but esp. a mixture of the latter with alcohol. — Burning glass, a convex lens of considerable size, used for producing an intense heat by converging the sun's rays to a focus. — Burning house Metallurgy, the furnace in which tin ores are calcined, to sublime the sulphur and arsenic from the pyrites. John Weale — Burning mirror, a concave mirror, or a combination of plane mirrors, used for the same purpose as a burning glass.
Synonyms: Combustion; fire; conflagration; flame; blaze.
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54