Read along with the three podcasts, or open the full dictionary entry for Scorch for the definition, Arabic meaning, synonyms and example sentences.
Narrator: Today's word is "Scorch" — verb, pronounced /skɔːtʃ/, with the stress on "scorch".
Narrator: To scorch is to burn the surface of something slightly, or to become slightly burnt.
Narrator: In plain English, you scorch a shirt with an iron that's too hot, leaving a brown mark.
Narrator: It probably comes from the Old French escorchier, meaning to flay, from the Latin excorticare.
Narrator: "To scorch the earth" describes a military strategy of destroying everything as you retreat.
Narrator: It differs from burn because scorch is surface damage, whereas burn can be deeper or total.
Narrator: "A scorcher" is a noun sense meaning a very hot day, or something outstanding.
Narrator: Cooking, laundry, military strategy and weather all rely on the word scorch.
Narrator: So remember: to scorch is to lightly burn, possibly from the Old French for to flay.
Speaker A: What does scorch mean?
Speaker B: To lightly burn! SCORCH probably comes from the Old French escorchier, to flay, so it means burning the surface of something.
Speaker A: So you scorch a shirt with an iron?
Speaker B: Yes — and the sun can scorch the grass!
Speaker A: Example sentences?
Speaker B: "Scorch the shirt"; "scorched earth"; "a scorcher of a day" — laundry, war and weather.
Speaker A: Common mistakes?
Speaker B: Don't confuse scorch with screech, because scorch means burn, while screech means a high cry.
Speaker A: Close relatives?
Speaker B: 'Burn' the general cousin, 'singe' the light twin, 'char' the blackened alternative. The word keeps its hot charm!
Speaker B: Let's use "scorch" in AI prompts — useful for cooking apps and weather tools.
Speaker A: So a prompt could frame cooking?
Speaker B: Right. For a cooking app, you'd write:
Prompt: Write a short guide on how not to scorch a sauce, naming two tips.
Speaker A: How about a weather tool?
Speaker B: Ask the model to describe:
Prompt: Draft a weather report for a scorcher of a day, naming the temperature.
Speaker A: Could it help with a military bot?
Speaker B: Yes, you can frame strategy:
Prompt: Summarise in two sentences what a scorched-earth policy means, naming one historical example.
Speaker A: One more?
Speaker B: For a laundry chatbot, try this:
Prompt: Write a short tip on removing scorch marks from fabric, naming one method.
Scorch — meaning in Arabic & definition More S courses GL Dictionary