scorching
Meaning
extremely hot
(informal) used to emphasize how hot something is
Structure
Usage
we walked home in the scorching afternoon sun.
it was a scorching day, well over 100 degrees fahrenheit.
she served the pie straight from the oven, scorching hot.
Etymology
the word 'scorching' originates from the middle english verb 'scorchen', which is believed to have been borrowed from a scandinavian source, akin to the old norse skorpna, meaning 'to shrivel up'. the core sense of burning or searing the surface of something has remained remarkably consistent. the addition of the present participle suffix '-ing' transforms the verb into an adjective, a productive grammatical process in english. thus, 'scorching' literally describes the quality or action of burning, which semantically extended to describe intense, oppressive heat.
Analysis
scorch (from middle english scorchen, likely of scandinavian origin; meaning to burn superficially), ing (from old english -ende, present participle suffix forming adjectives)