Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- intransitive verb To be cooked gently or remain just at or below the boiling point.
- intransitive verb To be filled with pent-up emotion.
- intransitive verb To be in a state of mild agitation or turmoil.
- intransitive verb To develop in a slow or unexcited way: synonym: boil.
- intransitive verb To cook (food) gently in a liquid just at or below the boiling point.
- intransitive verb To keep (a liquid) near or just below the boiling point.
- noun The state or process of simmering.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A Scotch form of
summer . - noun A gentle, gradual, uniform heating: said especially of liquids.
- To make a gentle murmuring or hissing sound, under the action of heat, as liquids when beginning to boil; hence, to become heated gradually: said especially of liquids which are to be kept, while heating, just below the boiling-point.
- Figuratively, to be on the point of boiling or breaking forth, as suppressed anger.
- To cause to simmer; heat gradually: said especially of liquids kept just below the boiling-point.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- transitive verb To cause to boil gently; to cook in liquid heated almost or just to the boiling point.
- intransitive verb To boil gently, or with a gentle hissing; to begin to boil.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun The state or process of simmering.
- verb intransitive To
cook orundergo heating slowly at or below theboiling point . - verb transitive To
cause to cook or to cause to undergo heating slowly at or below the boiling point.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb boil slowly at low temperature
- noun temperature just below the boiling point
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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Cook for about 15 minutes, checking every five minutes to stir and to ensure that a simmer is maintained and that liquid remains.
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So I set the timer for every 5 or 10 minutes until it comes to a boil, turn down the heat and check it every 5 or 10 minutes until the simmer is stabilized.
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So I set the timer for every 5 or 10 minutes until it comes to a boil, turn down the heat and check it every 5 or 10 minutes until the simmer is stabilized.
Archive 2005-11-01 2005
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Between the tender chicken and the beautiful vegetables, this soup -- a long, gentle simmer is key -- was good enough to revive the comatose.
Seattle Bon Vivant: 2004
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If your characters never seem to have anything to say, if all their obstacles are too easily solvable, you might want to consider letting the idea simmer for a while longer.
Writer's Block Is a Problem of Butts Editorial Anonymous 2009
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In medium saucepan, bring 2 cups of the milk just to a simmer, which is when you start to see steam rising from the pan.
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But he might let the idea simmer, might watch for a chance.
Quiller Bamboo Hall, Adam 1991
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The Dragonfly is light, stable, and it can simmer, which is rare in a stove like this.
Gizmodo Brent Rose 2011
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5 Return to the heat - increasing slightly to obtain a simmer, which is to be maintained for 10-15 minutes, depending on desired thickness.
Archive 2008-06-01 Shaun 2008
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I predict this will "simmer" as have other issues.
Anti-Obama Fury Spills Over Into Down-Ticket Contests: "Bomb Obama" 2009
bilby commented on the word simmer
Scots - summer.
As on the banks o' wandering Nith,
Ae smiling simmer morn I stray'd,
And traced its bonie howes and haughs,
Where linties sang and lammies play'd,
I sat me down upon a craig,
And drank my fill o' fancy's dream,
When from the eddying deep below,
Up rose the genius of the stream.
- Robert Burns, 'Verses On The Destruction Of The Woods Near Drumlanrig'.
January 28, 2009