parch

American  

[pahrch] / pɑrtʃ /

verb (used with object)

1. to make extremely, excessively, or completely dry, as heat, sun, and wind do.

   Synonyms:

   shrivel, dry

2. to make dry, hot, or thirsty.

   Walking in the sun parched his throat.

3. to dry (peas, beans, grain, etc.) by exposure to heat without burning; to toast or roast slightly.

   A staple of the Indian diet was parched corn.

4. to dry or shrivel with cold.

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verb (used without object)

1. to suffer from heat, thirst, or need of water.

2. to become parched; undergo drying by heat.

3. to dry (usually followed byup ).

parch British  

/ pɑːtʃ /

verb

1. to deprive or be deprived of water; dry up

   the sun parches the fields

2. (tr; usually passive) to make very thirsty

   I was parched after the run

3. (tr) to roast (corn, etc) lightly

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Other Word Forms

• parchable adjective
• parchingly adverb
• unparching adjective

Etymology

Origin of parch

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English perchen; further origin unknown

Explanation

If you don't water your lawn all summer, the hot weather will parch the grass until it's brown and withered. To parch is to dry up or wither due to sunlight or heat. The verb parch is often used in the context of plants and people. Crops will parch during a drought. A patient's skin will parch during an intense fever. If you're a fan of cooking shows, you may hear the word used in a less dire way. A chef may "parch some corn," which basically means she will roast it lightly. Parch can also mean "to make thirsty," as in "After running a marathon in this heat, you'll feel parched."

Example Sentences

Now more frequent and more intense, they destroy ground vegetation and parch the earth, which kills the ants and termites that pangolins survive on.

From BBC • Nov. 30, 2023

“Griffith cast a malevolent parch over the throats of local fandom by stating that inasmuch as beer never had been sold in his park, it would not now,” The Washington Post reported, sadly.

From Washington Post • Apr. 11, 2023

Perhaps we, too, are mosses, evolving to the parch of our self-made Mojaves.

From Scientific American • Nov. 19, 2022

Many have fled, heading to neighboring Iran or living in abject poverty in camps for the displaced within Afghanistan as repeated droughts parch the land and shrivel pastures.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 22, 2021

The soldier loves thee on his dreary march, And when in battle dreadful armies join; ’Tis thou forbids his sulphur’d lips should parch, And gives new strength to charge along the line.

From Nicotiana Or The Smoker's and Snuff-Taker's Companion by Meller, Henry James

Related Words

• evaporate
• scorch
• sear