An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/sengen
sengen, verb, ‘to singe, scorch, from Middle High German sęngen, ‘to singe, burn,’ literally ‘to cause to singe or crackle’; a factitive of Middle High German and Modern High German singen, with a peculiar development of meaning, which is shared by the English to singe, from Anglo-Saxon *sęnğęan.