arson

American  

[ahr-suhn] / ˈɑr sən /

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.

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arson British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

• arsonist noun
• arsonous adjective

Etymology

Origin of arson

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

Example Sentences

Menkem pointed out that under Cameroonian law, the minimum sentence for felonies such as murder and arson is 10 years.

From BBC

A day after federal prosecutors announced that the catastrophic Palisades fire was caused by the rekindling of a smaller arson fire days earlier, Los Angeles city officials were in damage control mode.

From Los Angeles Times

Germany has sought to increase its resilience to potential sabotage after an arson attack, which was previously linked to left-wing activists, left tens of thousands without power earlier this year.

From BBC

Truman, from Weston-super-Mare, denies arson and being reckless as to whether life was endangered.

From BBC

Viramontes shared the photo he took of the woman with arson investigators.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• torching