scald

[skawld]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR scald ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

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)

to be or become scalded.

noun

a burn caused by the action of hot liquid or steam.

any similar condition, especially as the result of too much heat or sunlight.

Plant Pathology.

a blanching of the epidermis and adjacent tissues, which turn pale or dark brown, caused by extreme heat or sun exposure.
a condition resembling scald caused by improper conditions of growth or storage, as in apples, or by fungi, as in cranberries.

Origin of scald

1175–1225; Middle English scalden (v.) < dialectal Old French escalder < Late Latin excaldāre to wash in hot water. See ex-¹, caldarium

Related formsnon·scald·ing, adjectiveun·scald·ed, adjectiveun·scald·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for scalding

blistering, scorching, searing, blazing, sizzling, boiling, sweltering, incandescent, piping, baking, burning, steaming, flaming, warm, roasting, heated, close, broiling, white

Examples from the Web for scalding

Contemporary Examples of scalding

New GOP primary challengers are looking to serve their Tea Party challengers a scalding hot cuppa change.
Tea Party Eats Their Own
David Freedlander
March 6, 2014
He sees his bare legs splayed out in front of him, and he sees hot brown pitch poured over them, scalding, clinging to his skin.
Why the American Revolution's Loyalists Are True Patriots
Andrew Roberts
February 12, 2011

Historical Examples of scalding

Lay the lemon-rind in scalding water, to extract the bitterness.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches
Eliza Leslie
His tears now flowed slow and scalding in the gloom that hid him from sight.
His Masterpiece
Emile Zola
These waters are scalding hot, but are pure, excepting a trace of iron.
The Continental Monthly, Vol. 6, No 3, September 1864
Various
The dust abounds; the winds are terrible; the sun is scalding.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 17, No. 104, June, 1866
Various
The fire in his body, the scalding heat that had been quenched by the cold water.
But, I Don't Think
Gordon Randall Garrett

British Dictionary definitions for scalding

scald

verb

to burn or be burnt with or as if with hot liquid or steam

(tr) to subject to the action of boiling water, esp so as to sterilize

(tr) to heat (a liquid) almost to boiling point

(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

Derived Formsscalder, noun

Word Origin for scald

C13: via Old Norman French from Late Latin excaldāre to wash in warm water, from calida (aqua) warm (water), from calēre to be warm

scald

noun

a variant spelling of skald

scald

adjective Also: scalled

scabby

noun

a scab or a skin disease producing scabs

Word Origin for scald

C16: from scall

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for scalding

adj.

early 13c., present participle adjective from scald (v.)). Scalding hot recorded from late 14c.

scald

c.1200, "to be very hot; to afflict painfully with hot liquid or steam," from Old North French escalder "to scald, to scorch" (Old French eschalder "heat, boil up, bubble," Modern French échauder), from Late Latin excaldare "bathe in hot water" (source also of Spanish escaldar, Italian scaldare "heat with hot water"), from Latin ex- "off" (see ex-) + calidus "hot" (see calorie). Related: Scalded; scalding. The noun is c.1600, from the verb.

scalding in Medicine

scald

[skôld]

v.

To burn with a hot liquid or steam.

n.

A body injury caused by scalding.