scald
C1Neutral to formal; common in culinary, medical, and domestic contexts.
Definition
Meaning
To injure with very hot liquid or steam.
To treat with very hot liquid (often to sterilize or to loosen skin); to heat a liquid to just below its boiling point; to cause a painful, burning sensation.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Often implies accidental injury or a specific cooking technique. As a noun, it refers to the injury itself.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Minimal. Both use it primarily for burns from hot liquids/steam and the culinary technique.
Connotations
Identical. Conveys pain and accident in injury context; precision in cooking context.
Frequency
Slightly more frequent in UK English in domestic injury contexts (e.g., 'I scalded my hand on the kettle'), but the difference is minor.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[VN] (scald sth/sb)[VN-ADJ] (scald sth clean)[be V-ed] (be scalded by sth)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Scald your tongue (to burn your mouth by drinking something too hot).”
- “(as) painful as a scald.”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Rare. Possibly in health & safety manuals (e.g., 'scald hazards in the kitchen').
Academic
In medical/biological texts describing injury mechanisms or sterilization processes.
Everyday
Common for describing kitchen accidents or the cooking step for milk/tomatoes.
Technical
Used in nursing (injury classification), food science (pasteurization steps), and brewing.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- Mind the kettle steam, you'll scald yourself.
- You need to scald the milk before adding the yeast.
- The burst pipe scalded several residents.
American English
- Be careful, the coffee is scalding hot.
- The recipe says to scald the cream first.
- He was scalded by the steam from the radiator.
adverb
British English
- The soup was scaldingly hot.
American English
- The metal felt scaldingly hot to the touch.
adjective
British English
- The scalding water left a red mark.
- She poured the scalding tea carefully.
American English
- He dropped the scalding soup on the floor.
- Avoid scalding hot showers.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The hot water scalded my finger.
- Milk for the recipe should be scalded.
- Be careful not to scald yourself on the steam.
- She scalded the jars to sterilize them.
- The child suffered a severe scald from the overturned pot.
- Scalding the tomatoes makes them easier to peel.
- The report highlighted the scalding injuries common in industrial kitchens.
- His scalding critique left the audience in stunned silence.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a Viking named SKALD who spilled boiling SOUP – he got a SCALD. (Skald -> Scald).
Conceptual Metaphor
HEAT IS PAIN / PURIFICATION IS HEATING (e.g., scalding water cleanses).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Not 'ошпарить' only for intentional actions; 'scald' is often accidental. Not to be confused with 'scold' (ругать) which sounds similar.
- The culinary meaning (scald milk) is 'подогреть молоко до кипения', not just 'нагреть'.
Common Mistakes
- Confusing 'scald' (liquid/steam burn) with 'burn' (general, from fire, sun, acid).
- Misspelling as 'scold'.
- Using it for general heating without the implication of near-boiling temperature.
Practice
Quiz
In which context is the word 'scald' LEAST likely to be used?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
'Scald' specifically involves injury from hot liquid or steam. 'Burn' is the general term for injury from fire, dry heat, chemicals, radiation, or electricity.
No. While often accidental for injuries, it is an intentional action in cooking (e.g., scalding milk) and cleaning (e.g., scalding a utensil to sterilize it).
In British English, it's /skɔːld/ (like 'scored' with an 'l'). In American English, it's /skɑːld/ (like 'scald' rhyming with 'bald'). The 'l' is always pronounced.
Yes, though it's less common. It can describe harsh, painful criticism or a searingly hot emotion (e.g., 'scalding tears', 'a scalding remark'), but 'scathing' is often preferred for criticism.