arson

[ahr-suhn]

noun

1. Law.,  the malicious burning of another's house or property, or in some statutes, the burning of one's own house or property, as to collect insurance.

arson

/ ˈɑːsən /

noun

1. criminal law the act of intentionally or recklessly setting fire to another's property or to one's own property for some improper reason

Other Word Forms

• arsonist noun
• arsonous adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of arson¹

First recorded in 1670–80; from Anglo-French, Old French, from Late Latin ārsiōn-, stem of ārsiō “a burn,” from ārs(us) “burned” (past participle of Latin ārd(ere) “to burn”; ardent ) + -iō -ion

Word History and Origins

Origin of arson¹

C17: from Old French, from Medieval Latin ārsiō, from Latin ārdēre to burn; see _ardent

Example Sentences

Since then, there have been numerous attempted murders, beatings, arson attacks and shootings, mostly within the gangs themselves.

From BBC

Fierce protests against corruption and nepotism spiralled further on Tuesday into arson and violence.

From BBC

On Tuesday, the BBC received reports of vandalism and arson against the homes of several high-ranking politicians.

From BBC

“It was my least dangerous film,” Laxe counters, reminding me of his “Fire Will Come,” the 2019 arson thriller for which he cast actual firefighters.

From Los Angeles Times

Police have said they are treating the arson attack as a racially-motivated hate crime.

From BBC

Related Words

• torching www.thesaurus.com