# singer

Pronunciation: US say "SING-ur" /ˈsɪŋɚ/; UK say "SING-uh" /ˈsɪŋə/

## Noun

1. A person who sings, often as a profession.
   - Simple: A person who uses their voice to make music, often as a job.
   - _The lead singer held the final note for nearly ten seconds._
   - _She trained for years before becoming a professional singer._
2. A square-dance figure with a fixed structure that a caller sings, or a piece of music having that structure.
   - Simple: A square-dance pattern with set steps that a caller sings, or the tune used for it.
   - _The band struck up a singer while the dancers formed their squares._
   - _Each singer in the program had its own calling pattern._
3. A person or a device that singes, lightly burning the surface of something. (pronounced: US say "SIN-jur" /ˈsɪnd͡ʒɚ/; UK say "SIN-juh" /ˈsɪnd͡ʒə/)
   - Simple: A person or tool that lightly burns the surface of something.
   - _The singer at the slaughterhouse passed each carcass through flame to clear away the down._
   - _A skilled singer could clean a dozen fowl without scorching the skin._
4. A machine for singeing cloth, burning off the loose fibers that stand up from its surface. (pronounced: US say "SIN-jur" /ˈsɪnd͡ʒɚ/; UK say "SIN-juh" /ˈsɪnd͡ʒə/)
   - Simple: A machine that burns the loose threads off the surface of cloth.
   - _The mill's singer removed the fuzzy surface from every bolt of cotton._
   - _Operators adjusted the singer so the flame would not scorch the fabric._

## Origin

**Meanings 1–2** — Inherited from Middle English synger, equivalent to "sing" plus "-er". It is related to Scots singar, West Frisian sjonger, and German Sänger.
**Meanings 3–4** — Formed from the verb "singe" plus the suffix "-er".

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/singer (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).