singe

 
Pronunciation: /sɪn(d)ʒ/

verb (singes, singeing, singed)

[with object]
  • burn (something) superficially or lightly: the fire had singed his eyebrows (as adjective singed) a smell of singed feathers
  • [no object] be lightly or superficially burned: the heat was so intense I could feel the hairs on my hands singe
  • burn the bristles or down off (the carcass of a pig or fowl) to prepare it for cooking.

noun

  • a superficial burn.

Origin:

Old English sencgan, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch zengen

Spelling rule

Keep the final -e when adding -ing so as to tell the difference between singeing and singing (the present participle of sing): (singes, singeing, singed).