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cigarette burn

cigarette burn

6 5.2
A small mark a cigarette makes on skin or clothes
  • noun
  • /ˈsɪɡəˌrɛt bɜrn/
translation icon : quemadura de cigarrillo
  • They found bruises and cigarette burns...
  • cigarette burns and stains
  • welts from cigarette burns
  • cigarette burn scars

He said he had to buy her a bag because her bag was so old with cigarette burns.

Examples

  • We bought it used, and there were cigarette burns up there!

    Blog text (12)
  • Watched him smoke, knowing the old man would let the cigarette burn down.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • There was that cigarette burn on the back of the hand.

  • Maybe a cigarette burn on your arm Will change your expression to one of alarm.

  • Close-up of the cigarette burn.

  • I'm in my 30s and have cigarette burns on my arms.

    Blog text (32)
  • I took a vinyl recliner that had a cigarette burn in the left arm and several cuts on the right one.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • She will however suffer some scarring from the cigarette burns.

  • The carpet is threadbare wall to wall, scarred with cigarette burns, stained with food and God knows what else.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • I noticed a cigarette burn on the table after the party.

Synonyms

burn
vscigarette burn
157 1.8

An injury to the skin caused by heat, fire, chemicals, or the sun

is the same type of injury but specifically caused by a lit smoking object
burn mark
vscigarette burn
11 2.4

A dark spot on skin or cloth made when something hot touches it

is the same mark but caused by a lit smoking object touching surface
scorch
vscigarette burn
4 4.8

A mark where the surface was burned and turned brown

is a localized scar from a lit smoking object rather than broad discoloration
singe
vscigarette burn
1 5.3

A small burn on the surface of something caused by brief heat

is usually a more distinct scar caused by a lit smoking object

How Severe

burn
157 1.8
cigarette burn
6 5.2
scorch
4 4.8

Surface Forms

Morphology

cigarette + burn

The meaning is directly and transparently derived from combining 'cigarette' (the agent/source) with 'burn' (injury or damage): it denotes a burn caused by a cigarette. This noun–noun composition (source + result/injury) is a common, compositional pattern cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Cigarette burn comes from the clear image of a lit cigarette touching fabric, wood, or skin and leaving a small round burn or hole. That's why it means 'a mark or scar left when a cigarette burns something'.