Meaning

noun a browning of the skin resulting from exposure to the rays of the sun

noun redness of the skin caused by exposure to the rays of the sun

verb get a sunburn by overexposure to the sun

originFrom Middle English *sunne burnen, *sonne brennen, *sunne brennen (suggested by derivatives sonne brennynge, sunne brennynge (“sunburn”, literally “sun-burning”) and sunne brente (“sunburnt”), equivalent to sun + burn. Compare West Frisian sinnebrân (“sunburn”), Dutch zonnebrand (“sunburn”), German Sonnenbrand (“sunburn”), Swedish solbränna (“sunburn”), and Icelandic sólbruni (“sunburn”), as well…

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0