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Emergency Medicine & First Aid vocabulary · Burns, Fractures and Sprains

Burn

Meaning in emergency medicine & first aid, with examples

/bɜːrn/nounCore term

In emergency medicine & first aid, burn means: Damage to the skin and the tissue under it caused by heat, flames, hot liquids, chemicals, electricity or radiation.

In Turkish: yanık

How it is used

Burns are described by cause (thermal, chemical, electrical), depth (superficial, partial-thickness, full-thickness) and size as a percentage of body surface area. Staff talk about cooling and covering a burn. The older terms first-, second- and third-degree burn are still common with the public.

Example sentences

  1. She has a burn on her forearm from the oven door.

  2. Electrical burns can look small on the skin but hide deeper damage.

Common collocations

  • minor burn
  • severe burn
  • chemical burn
  • cool the burn
  • burn dressing
  • scaldA burn caused by hot liquid or steam, such as boiling water, hot tea or cooking oil.
  • full-thickness burnThe deepest type of burn, which destroys all layers of the skin and may reach fat, muscle or bone; the area can look white, leathery or charred.
  • dressingA sterile pad or covering placed directly on a wound to protect it, absorb blood and help it heal.
  • woundAn injury where the skin or other tissue is cut, torn, pierced or broken, for example by a knife, glass, a fall or a bite.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Burns, Fractures and Sprains

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.