arson

[ ahr-suh n ]
/ ?ɑr sən /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR arson ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Law. the malicious burning of another's house or property, or in some statutes, the burning of one's own house or property, as to collect insurance.

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Origin of arson

1670–80; < Anglo-French, Old French < Late Latin ?rsiōn- (stem of ?rsiō) a burning, equivalent to ?rs- (Latin ?rd(ere) to burn (cf. ardent) + -t(us) past participle suffix) + -iōn- -ion

OTHER WORDS FROM arson

ar·son·ous, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH arson

arsenous arsonous

Words nearby arson

arsine, arsino, arsino group, arsis, arsm, arson, arsonist, arsphenamine, arsy, arsy-varsy, arsy-versy
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to arson

torching, pyromania, firing, incendiarism

Example sentences from the Web for arson

British Dictionary definitions for arson

arson
/ (?ɑ?sən) /

noun

criminal law the act of intentionally or recklessly setting fire to another's property or to one's own property for some improper reason

Derived forms of arson

arsonist, noun

Word Origin for arson

C17: from Old French, from Medieval Latin ?rsiō, from Latin ?rdēre to burn; see ardent
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012