# smolder

> English word · Verb · IPA /ˈsmoʊldɚ/ · frequency rank #94,270

## Definitions
1. To burn with no flame and little smoke.
2. To show signs of repressed anger or suppressed mental turmoil or other strong emotion, such as passion.
3. To exist in a suppressed or hidden state.

## Etymology
From Middle English smolderen (“to suffocate, stifle”), from Middle English smolder (“smoke, smoky vapour”), ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *smolōn (“to burn, glow, fume, smoulder”). Related to Proto-West Germanic *smallijan (> English smell).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/smolder