parch Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. verb cause to wither or parch from exposure to heat
    sear.
    • The sun parched the earth

WordNet

Parch transitive verb
Etymology
OE. perchen to pierce, hence used of a piercing heat or cold, OF. perchier, another form of percier, F. percer. See Pierce.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Parched ; present participle & verbal noun Parching
Definitions
  1. To burn the surface of; to scorch; to roast over the fire, as dry grain; as, to parch the skin; to parch corn.
    Ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn. Lev. xxiii. 14.
  2. To dry to extremity; to shrivel with heat; as, the mouth is parched from fever.
    The ground below is parched. Dryden.
Parch intransitive verb
Definitions
  1. To become scorched or superficially burnt; to be very dry. "Parch in Afric sun." Shak.

Webster 1913