burning

[ bur-ning ]

adjective

1. aflame; on fire.
2. very hot; simmering:

   The water was burning.

3. very bright; glowing:

   She wore a burning red bathing suit.

4. caused by or as if by fire, a burn, or heat:

   He had a burning sensation in his throat.

5. intense; passionate:

   a burning desire.

6. urgent or crucial:

   a burning question.

noun

1. the state, process, sensation, or effect of being on fire, burned, burn, or subjected to intense heat.
2. the baking of ceramic products to develop hardness and other properties.
3. the heating or the calcining of certain ores and rocks as a preliminary stage in various industrial processes.

burning

/ ˈbɜːnɪŋ /

adjective

1. intense; passionate
2. urgent; crucial

   a burning problem

noun

1. a form of heat treatment used to harden and finish ceramic materials or to prepare certain ores for further treatment by calcination
2. overheating of an alloy during heat treatment in which local fusion or excessive oxide formation and penetration occur, weakening the alloy
3. the heat treatment of particular kinds of gemstones to change their colour

Derived Forms

• ˈburningly, adverb

Other Words From

• burning·ly adverb
• non·burning adjective noun
• un·burning adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of burning¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English brenning, Old English byrnende; burn ¹, -ing ¹, -ing ²

Example Sentences

"But the question is how much does experience help lead to finding solutions? This is a job where every morning there are at least a dozen kinds of fires burning."

From BBC

Mr Pirie said if that did happen, the current thinking of the energy secretary Ed Milliband was not to require the assessment process to begin afresh but to request the additional information relating to the climate impact of burning the fuels, before issuing a new decision.

From BBC

Flame bars created the dancing firestorm behind the characters, augmented by practical visual effects from the actual burning of a replica set.

From Los Angeles Times

Every year, Delhi and northern states battle hazardous air during the winter months of October to January due to plummeting temperatures, smoke, dust, low wind speed, vehicular emissions and crop stubble burning.

From BBC

“We tried to put it out, but everything was burning so strongly,” she says through tears.

From BBC

Related Words

• fiery
• flaming
• gleaming
• glowing
• hot
• scorching
• searing