SCORCH

I. verb Etymology: Middle English; probably akin to Middle English scorcnen to become singed, scorklen to parch Date: 14th century transitive verb to burn a surface of so as to change its color and texture, 2. to dry or shrivel with or as if with intense heat ; parch , to afflict painfully with censure or sarcasm, devastate , intransitive verb to become ~ed, to travel at great and usually excessive speed, to cause intense heat or mental anguish , ~ingly adverb II. noun Date: 15th century a result of ~ing, a browning of plant tissues usually from disease or heat, III. transitive verb Etymology: Middle English, perhaps blend of scoren to score and scocchen to scotch Date: 14th century cut , slash