What does "scald" mean?
A burn, or injury to the skin or flesh, by hot liquid or steam.
Scald
/skɔld/ adj, noun, verb
adj, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A burn, or injury to the skin or flesh, by hot liquid or steam.
- Grammar: scald is listed as adj, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: abrade, abrasion, bake, bark.
- Useful contrasts: chill, cold water, cool.
- Usage evidence: If you spill boiling water, you can easily scald yourself.
How to use "scald"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "scald" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "scald" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "scald" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "scald" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "scald" is acting as adj, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abrade" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "scald", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A burn, or injury to the skin or flesh, by hot liquid or steam.
- 2 Scaliness; a scabby skin disease. obsolete, uncountable
"Her craftie head was altogether bald, / And as in hate of honorable eld, / Was ouergrowne with scurfe and filthy scald[…]."
- 3 Alternative form of skald. alt-of, alternative
"The fire was spreading rapidly through all parts of the castle, when Ulrica, who had first kindled it, appeared on a turret, in the guise of one of the ancient furies, yelling forth a war-song, such as was of yore chaunted on the field of battle by the scalds of the yet heathen Saxons."
- 4 the act of burning with steam or hot water wordnet
- 5 A paste, made by mixing flour with hot or boiling water (causing starches in it to gelatinize and hold more water) and allowing that mixture to sit and cool, which is added to bread dough to produce a softer bread that takes longer to stale.
"[…] stir in the flour by hand, and afterwards add the boiling water, and stir vigorously as already described for Virgin barm. The scald should not be so stiff as for Virgin, and should taste sweet when newly made."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 a burn cause by hot liquid or steam wordnet
- 7 Poor or bad land. Appalachia
Verb
- 1 To burn with hot liquid.
"to scald the hand"
- 2 burn with a hot liquid or steam wordnet
- 3 To heat almost to boiling.
"Scald the milk until little bubbles form."
- 4 heat to the boiling point wordnet
- 5 treat with boiling water wordnet
Show 1 more definition
- 6 subject to harsh criticism wordnet
Adjective
- 1 Affected with the scab; scabby. obsolete
"and let us knog our / prains together to be revenge on this same scald, scurvy, / cogging companion,"
- 2 Paltry; worthless. obsolete
"Would it not grieue a King to be so abuſ’d? And haue a thouſand horſmen tane away? And which is worſe to haue his Diadem Sought for by ſuch ſcalde knaues as loue him not?"
Example
"If you spill boiling water, you can easily scald yourself."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "scald"?
Common synonyms include: abrade, abrasion, bake, bark, be in heat, blanch.
How do you use "scald" in a sentence?
If you spill boiling water, you can easily scald yourself.
How do you pronounce "scald"?
Pronounced /skɔld/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English scalden, from Old Northern French escalder (cf. central Old French eschauder, eschalder), from Late Latin excaldāre (“bathe in hot water”), from ex- (“off, out”) + cal(i)dus (“hot”).
Etymology 2
Alteration of scall or scalled.