Etymologically
Log in

blemish

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 13 October 2026 at 14:23. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈblɛmɪʃ/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English blemisshen (“to damage, sully”),[2][3] from Old French blemir (“to make pale”), from its stem blemiss-.[2][4][5][3] The French verb is of Germanic origin,[2][3] probably Frankish *blesmjan “to cause to turn pale”,[5][6][4] and is related to blaze in the sense of a white mark.[3][6] Merriam-Webster glosses the French literally as “to make pale by wounding”.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

To damage or deface (about 1325).[7][5][4]

Semantic evolution

The verb first meant to hurt or disfigure, physically or morally.[7][5] From the mid-15th century it meant to mar the beauty or soundness of something that was otherwise excellent.[5][7] The noun, formed from the verb in the 1520s, was first a moral stain[7][4][5] and from 1535 a physical mark or defect.[7][3]

Timeline

  • about 1325 – to hurt or deface.[7]
  • about 1380 – to impair morally.[7][4]
  • about 1460 – to mar the beauty or soundness of.[7][5]
  • 1526 – noun, a moral defect.[7][4]
  • 1535 – noun, a physical defect or disfigurement.[7][3]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A mark or flaw that spoils the appearance of something, such as a pimple or scar.
  2. A moral defect or stain, as on a reputation.

Verb

  1. To spoil the perfection or appearance of something.

Word family

  • blemisher

Usage notes

The American Heritage Dictionary distinguishes several near-synonyms.[2] A blemish is something such as a blotch that mars appearance or character, while imperfection and fault apply to any shortcoming.[2] A defect is a serious functional or structural shortcoming, and a flaw an often small but fundamental weakness.[2]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  6. ^ a b Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press