- a variation of skald.
scald
1 Americanverb (used with object)
-
scalds,
present (3rd person singular)
-
scalded,
past participle, past
-
scalding
present participle
-
to burn or affect painfully with or as if with hot liquid or steam.
-
to subject to the action of boiling or hot liquid.
-
to heat to a temperature just short of the boiling point.
to scald milk.
-
to parboil or blanch (fruit, vegetables, etc.).
verb (used without object)
-
scalds,
present (3rd person singular)
-
scalded,
past participle, past
-
scalding
present participle
noun
-
a burn caused by the action of hot liquid or steam.
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any similar condition, especially as the result of too much heat or sunlight.
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Plant Pathology.
-
a blanching of the epidermis and adjacent tissues, which turn pale or dark brown, caused by extreme heat or sun exposure.
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a condition resembling scald caused by improper conditions of growth or storage, as in apples, or by fungi, as in cranberries.
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adjective
noun
verb
-
to burn or be burnt with or as if with hot liquid or steam
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(tr) to subject to the action of boiling water, esp so as to sterilize
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(tr) to heat (a liquid) almost to boiling point
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(tr) to plunge (tomatoes, peaches, etc) into boiling water briefly in order to skin them more easily
noun
-
the act or result of scalding
-
an abnormal condition in plants, characterized by discoloration and wrinkling of the skin of the fruits, caused by exposure to excessive sunlight, gases, etc
adjective
noun
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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scaldsimple
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scaldssimple
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have scaldedperfect
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has scaldedperfect
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am scaldingprogressive
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are scaldingprogressive
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is scaldingprogressive
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have been scaldingperfect progressive
-
has been scaldingperfect progressive
Past
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scaldedsimple
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had scaldedperfect
-
was scaldingprogressive
-
were scaldingprogressive
-
had been scaldingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of scald1
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English verb scalde(n), scolde(n), from Anglo-Latin scal(a)dāre, escaudāre, and Old French eschalder, eschauder, from Late Latin excaldāre “to wash in hot water”; see origin at ex- 1, caldarium
Origin of scald2
Explanation
You could scald yourself if your bathwater is too hot. To scald something is to burn it with hot liquid. However, if a recipe tells you to “scald the milk,” it means to heat it to the moment just before it boils. The verb scald comes from the Late Latin word excaldare, meaning “bathe in hot water.” For example, if you scald a tomato in boiling water for one minute, it will be easy to peel. In medieval times, or any era when people protected their castles by pouring hot oil from the turrets, they scalded their enemies. Nice.
Vocabulary lists containing scald
"Everyday Use" by Alice Walker
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Blanch, Poach, and Scald: Cooking Methods
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"There Will Come Soft Rains" by Ray Bradbury
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
I eat it standing, careful not to scald my tongue.
From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2026
If they get a burn or scald that is very large or deep, is on the face, genitals or bottom, the NHS advises to contact your nearest A&E or to call 999.
From BBC ● May 4, 2026
When this anger boiled over, it threatened to scald more than the British.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026
He noted a major concern was the overheating asphalt, which could scald paws.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 10, 2024
She would ignore him outright when they passed in the halls, and kept a wide berth, as though if she strayed into his path, their proximity alone might scald her.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
Her famous parting words as the doctor leads her away, “Whoever you are — I have always depended on the kindness of strangers,” scalds anew.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 11, 2025
Page views on burns and scalds and how to treat them also increased.
From BBC ● Dec. 23, 2024
Taking the play in is like sipping a rarefied eau de vie, the kind that scalds as it cools.
From New York Times ● Sep. 26, 2019
One twin falls down the crumbling stairs of her Calcutta house and breaks her ankle; the other scalds her thigh on a tipped cup of coffee in a European station.
From The New Yorker ● May 2, 2016
The day in and day out of needle pricks, scalds, and raw-skinned hands from cooking and scrubbing was wearing on me.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
However, another called it a "vey good decision", saying they had always been "nervous" that they would be scalded.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2024
So McDonald's had a responsibility not to make coffee that burned you, that scalded you.
From Salon ● Oct. 29, 2023
So hot that you could be scalded by the first blast of sunbaked water to come out of the garden hose.
From Slate ● Aug. 1, 2023
Vargas and Outman walked with two outs in the bottom of the eighth, but Rojas scalded a 99-mph line drive right at shortstop Nick Ahmed to end the inning.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 1, 2023
Her hands find Madame’s face, and the old woman’s cheek is so hot that Marie-Laure’s fingers recoil as though scalded.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
Meanwhile, his shower alternated between freezing cold and "scalding hot".
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
We would loiter, mostly, and eat the shredded beef nachos that I still think about to this day while the plastic of our high-top Converse grilled on the scalding asphalt.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
The title invokes the container for holding scalding liquid metal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 29, 2026
The windows were leaky, which means big trouble in North Dakota’s frigid winters and scalding summers.
From Salon ● Dec. 18, 2025
Miles stopped at the fourth door on the left, touched the handle hesitantly a few times as if he thought it’d be scalding hot, and then pushed the door open.
From "Made You Up" by Francesca Zappia
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
