Burn \Burn\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Burned (?) or Burnt (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Burning.]

[OE. bernen, brennen, v. t., early confused with beornen, birnen, v. i., AS. b[ae]rnan, bernan, v. t., birnan, v. i.; akin to OS. brinnan, OFries. barna, berna, OHG. brinnan, brennan, G. brennen, OD. bernen, D. branden, Dan. br[ae]nde, Sw. br["a]nna, brinna, Icel. brenna, Goth. brinnan, brannjan (in comp.), and possibly to E. fervent.]

1. To consume with fire; to reduce to ashes by the action of heat or fire; -- frequently intensified by up: as, to burn up wood. ``We'll burn his body in the holy place.'' --Shak.

2. To injure by fire or heat; to change destructively some property or properties of, by undue exposure to fire or heat; to scorch; to scald; to blister; to singe; to char; to sear; as, to burn steel in forging; to burn one's face in the sun; the sun burns the grass.

3. To perfect or improve by fire or heat; to submit to the action of fire or heat for some economic purpose; to destroy or change some property or properties of, by exposure to fire or heat in due degree for obtaining a desired residuum, product, or effect; to bake; as, to burn clay in making bricks or pottery; to burn wood so as to produce charcoal; to burn limestone for the lime.

4. To make or produce, as an effect or result, by the application of fire or heat; as, to burn a hole; to burn charcoal; to burn letters into a block.

5. To consume, injure, or change the condition of, as if by action of fire or heat; to affect as fire or heat does; as, to burn the mouth with pepper.

This tyrant fever burns me up. --Shak.

This dry sorrow burns up all my tears. --Dryden.

When the cold north wind bloweth, . . . it devoureth the mountains, and burneth the wilderness, and consumeth the grass as fire. --Ecclus. xliii. 20, 21.

6. (Surg.) To apply a cautery to; to cauterize.

7. (Chem.) To cause to combine with oxygen or other active agent, with evolution of heat; to consume; to oxidize; as, a man burns a certain amount of carbon at each respiration; to burn iron in oxygen.

To burn, To burn together, as two surfaces of metal (Engin.), to fuse and unite them by pouring over them a quantity of the same metal in a liquid state.

To burn a bowl (Game of Bowls), to displace it accidentally, the bowl so displaced being said to be burned.

To burn daylight, to light candles before it is dark; to waste time; to perform superfluous actions. --Shak.

To burn one's fingers, to get one's self into unexpected trouble, as by interfering the concerns of others, speculation, etc.

To burn out, to destroy or obliterate by burning. ``Must you with hot irons burn out mine eyes?'' --Shak.

To be burned out, to suffer loss by fire, as the burning of one's house, store, or shop, with the contents.

To burn up, To burn down, to burn entirely.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
 

Burnt \Burnt\, p. p. & a. Consumed with, or as with, fire; scorched or dried, as with fire or heat; baked or hardened in the fire or the sun.

Burnt ear, a black, powdery fungus which destroys grain. See Smut.

Burnt offering, something offered and burnt on an altar, as an atonement for sin; a sacrifice. The offerings of the Jews were a clean animal, as an ox, a calf, a goat, or a sheep; or some vegetable substance, as bread, or ears of wheat or barley. Called also burnt sacrifice. --[2 Sam. xxiv. 22.]

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)