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Word Study
sear
CIDE DICTIONARY
sear, a. [OE. seer, AS. seár (assumed) fr. seárian to wither; akin to D. zoor dry, LG. soor, OHG. sor to wither, Gr. a"y`ein to parch, to dry, Skr. (for sush) to dry, to wither, Zend hush to dry. Austere, Sorrel, a. ].
Dry; withered; no longer green; -- applied to leaves. Milton. [1913 Webster]
"I have lived long enough; my way of life
Is fall'n into the sear, the yellow leaf." [1913 Webster]
Is fall'n into the sear, the yellow leaf." [1913 Webster]
- To wither; to dry up. Shak. [1913 Webster]
- To burn (the surface of) to dryness and hardness; to cauterize; to expose to a degree of heat such as changes the color or the hardness and texture of the surface; to scorch; to make callous; as, to sear the skin or flesh. Also used figuratively. [1913 Webster]" Sear is allied to scorch in signification; but it is applied primarily to animal flesh, and has special reference to the effect of heat in marking the surface hard. Scorch is applied to flesh, cloth, or any other substance, and has no reference to the effect of hardness." [1913 Webster]"I'm seared with burning steel." [1913 Webster]"It was in vain that the amiable divine tried to give salutary pain to that seared conscience." [1913 Webster]"The discipline of war, being a discipline in destruction of life, is a discipline in callousness. Whatever sympathies exist are seared." [1913 Webster]
sear, n. [F. serre a grasp, pressing, fr. L. sera. See Serry.].
The catch in a gunlock by which the hammer is held cocked or half cocked. [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
sear, v. & adj.
--v.tr.
1 a scorch, esp. with a hot iron; cauterize, brand. b (as searing adj.) scorching, burning (searing pain).
2 cause pain or great anguish to.
3 brown (meat) quickly at a high temperature so that it will retain its juices in cooking.
4 make (one's conscience, feelings, etc.) callous.
5 archaic blast, wither.
--adj. (also sere) literary (esp. of a plant etc.) withered, dried up.
--v.tr.
1 a scorch, esp. with a hot iron; cauterize, brand. b (as searing adj.) scorching, burning (searing pain).
2 cause pain or great anguish to.
3 brown (meat) quickly at a high temperature so that it will retain its juices in cooking.
4 make (one's conscience, feelings, etc.) callous.
5 archaic blast, wither.
--adj. (also sere) literary (esp. of a plant etc.) withered, dried up.
Etymology
OE sear (adj.), searian (v.), f. Gmc
THESAURUS
sear
Sanforize, Sanforized, adust, air-dry, anhydrate, attaint, attenuate, attenuated, bake, baked, barbecue, baste, bedaub, besmear, besmirch, besmoke, bestain, blacken, blanch, blaze, blister, blot, blur, boil, braise, brand, brew, broil, brown, brush, burn, burn in, burn off, burn up, burnt, cast, cauterize, char, coal, coddle, consume, consumed, cook, corky, crack, cupel, cure, curry, darken, daub, dehumidify, dehydrate, dehydrated, desiccate, desiccated, devil, diminish, dirty, discolor, do, do to perfection, drain, dried, dried-up, droop, dry, dry up, emacerate, emacerated, emaciate, emaciated, evaporate, evaporated, exsiccate, exsiccated, fade, fade away, fire, flag, flame, found, fricassee, frizz, frizzle, fry, griddle, grill, heat, insolate, kiln, languish, macerate, mark, mat burn, mummified, mummify, oven-bake, oxidate, oxidize, pan, pan-broil, parboil, parch, parched, pine, poach, prepare, prepare food, preshrink, preshrunk, pyrolyze, roast, rub, saute, scald, scallop, scorch, scorched, seared, second-degree burn, sere, shirr, shrink, shrivel, shriveled, shriveled up, shrunk, shrunken, simmer, singe, sizzle, slubber, slur, smear, smirch, smoke, soak up, soil, solder, sponge, stain, steam, stew, stigmatize, stir-fry, sun, sun-dried, sun-dry, sunbaked, sunburn, sunscald, swab, swinge, taint, tarnish, thin, third-degree burn, toast, torrefy, towel, vesicate, vulcanize, waste, waste away, wasted, wasted away, weazen, weazened, weld, wilt, wind-dried, windburn, wipe, wither, withered, wizen, wizen-faced, wizenedROGET THESAURUS
sear
Insensibility
VB be insensible, have a rhinoceros hide, show insensibility, not mind, not care, not be affected by, have no desire for, have no interest in, feel no interest in, take no interest in, nil admirari, not care a straw for, disregard, set at naught, turn a deaf ear to, vegetate, render insensible, render callous, blunt, obtund, numb, benumb, paralyze, deaden, hebetate, stun, stupefy, brutify, brutalize, chloroform, anaesthetize, put under, assify, inure, harden the heart, steel, caseharden, sear.Dryness
N dryness, siccity, aridity, drought, ebb tide, low water, exsiccation, desiccation, arefaction, dephlegmation, drainage, drier, desiccative, dessicator, dessicator, hair drier, clothes drier, gas drier, electric drier, vacuum oven, drying oven, kiln, lyophilizer, clothesline, dry, anhydrous, arid, adust, arescent, dried, undamped, juiceless, sapless, sear, husky, rainless, without rain, fine, dry as a bone, dry as dust, dry as a stick, dry as a mummy, dry as a biscuit, water proof, water tight, dehydrated, dessicated.Calefaction
VB heat, warm, chafe, stive, foment, make hot, sun oneself, sunbathe, go up in flames, burn to the ground (flame), fire, set fire to, set on fire, kindle, enkindle, light, ignite, strike a light, apply the match to, apply the torch to, rekindle, relume, fan the flame, add fuel to the flame, poke the fire, stir the fire, blow the fire, make a bonfire of, melt, thaw, fuse, liquefy, burn, inflame, roast, toast, fry, grill, singe, parch, bake, torrefy, scorch, brand, cauterize, sear, burn in, corrode, char, calcine, incinerate, smelt, scorify, reduce to ashes, burn to a cinder, commit to the flames, consign to the flames, boil, digest, stew, cook, seethe, scald, parboil, simmer, do to rags, take fire, catch fire, blaze.Also see definition of "sear" in Bible Study Dictionaries
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