smolder

English

Alternative forms

• smoulder (chiefly British)

Etymology

From Middle English smolderen (“to suffocate, stifle”), from Middle English smolder (“smoke, smoky vapour”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *smul-, *smuljaną (“to burn, glow, fume, smoulder”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsmoʊldɚ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -əʊldə(r)

Verb

smolder (third-person singular simple present smolders, present participle smoldering, simple past and past participle smoldered)

1. (intransitive, US) To burn with no flame and little smoke.

   The remains of the bonfire were left to smolder for hours.

2. (intransitive, figuratively) To show signs of repressed anger or suppressed mental turmoil or other strong emotion, such as passion.

Translations

to burn with no flame and little smoke

• Belarusian: тлець impf (tljecʹ)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 陰燃／阴燃, 阴燃 (yīnrán)

• Chuvash: ӗн (ĕn)
• Czech: doutnat
• Dutch: smeulen (nl)
• Finnish: kyteä (fi)
• French: se consumer (fr), couver (fr)
• German: schwelen (de), glimmen (de)
• Greek: σιγοκαίω (el) (sigokaío), υποκαίω (ypokaío), καίω χωρίς φλόγα (kaío chorís flóga)

  Ancient Greek: σμύχω (smúkhō)

• Hungarian: parázslik (hu)
• Ido: bruletar (io)
• Italian: ardere (it)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Latvian: gruzdēt (lv)
• Maori: ponguru, popō, mohu, torohū
• Occitan: sumir, coar (oc)
• Polish: tleć impf
• Portuguese: queimar/arder (sem chama)
• Quechua: hapuy
• Russian: тлеть (ru) impf (tletʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: cnàmh-loisg
• Spanish: arder (es)
• Ukrainian: тлі́ти (uk) impf (tlíty)
• Volapük: smolön (vo)
• Westrobothnian:

To show signs of repressed anger or suppressed mental turmoil or other strong emotion

• Finnish: kyteä (fi)
• French: ronger son frein (fr)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Greek: σιγοκαίω (el) (sigokaío)
• Italian: covare (it)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• German: ^{(please verify)} glosen
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

Anagrams

• Molders, molders, remolds