noun

arson

arson

He was charged with arson.

He was charged with arson.

The police suspect arson was the cause of the fire.

The police suspect arson was the cause of the fire.

((uncountable)) the crime of deliberately setting fire to property He was charged with arson.

Synonyms: incendiarism, pyromania

From Old French 'arsion' (a burning), from Latin 'ardere' (to burn).

The 'ars' in 'arson' comes from the Latin 'ardere', meaning 'to burn'. Think of an 'ardent' or burning desire to set a fire.

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