I. noun
or smoul·der ˈsmōldə(r)
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English smolder; akin to Middle Dutch smölen to smolder, scorch — more at smell
1. : smoke , smother , smudge
2. : a smoldering fire — compare blaze
3. : a disease of narcissus bulbs caused by a fungus ( Botrytis narcissicola )
II. verb
or smoulder “
( smoldered or smouldered ; smoldered or smouldered ; smoldering or smouldering -d(ə)riŋ ; smolders or smoulders )
Etymology: Middle English smolderen, from smolder, n.
transitive verb
1. obsolete : smother , suppress , suffocate
2. : to blacken with fire or ashes
intransitive verb
1. : to burn and smoke without flame
the fuse smoldered and sputtered
: waste away by slow combustion
fire was smoldering in the grate
— often used with out
it took hours for the ruins to smolder out
2. : to exist in a state of suppressed activity : be or continue liable to violent outbreak at any moment
the feud smoldered for months with no actual shooting
3. : to show scarcely suppressed or contained anger, hate, jealousy
her tone was … conversational, although … her eyes were smoldering — James Hensel