Noah Webster's New International Dictionary of the English Language

1. (v. t.) To burn slightly or superficially; to burn the surface of; to burn the ends or outside of; as, to singe the hair or the skin.

2. (v. t.) To remove the nap of (cloth), by passing it rapidly over a red-hot bar, or over a flame, preliminary to dyeing it.

3. (v. t.) To remove the hair or down from (a plucked chicken or the like) by passing it over a flame.

4. (n.) A burning of the surface; a slight burn.