Etymologically
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blender

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 31 October 2026 at 14:37. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • UK: /ˈblɛn.də/[1]
  • US: /ˈblɛn.dɚ/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English blend + -er,[2][3][4][5][6] an agent noun from the verb.[3] Blend is from Middle English blenden, first recorded about 1300 in northern writers, probably from Old Norse blanda (“to mix”), or from the rare Old English blandan (“to mix”), or both.[3][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

A person who mixes things: Merriam-Webster dates the word to 1611;[4] Johnson (1755) defined it as "the person that mingles".[6] The OED's first record, for one who or that which blends, is from 1835.[2]

Semantic evolution

In the 19th century a blender was also a tool for blending colours, such as a soft brush.[2][4] Etymonline dates this use to 1872.[3] The word also named workers who mix grades of whisky, flour, tobacco or petrol to a desired quality.[4] The electric kitchen appliance is recorded from 1942 in Etymonline, from 1948 in the OED,[3][2] and in Britain it is also called a liquidizer.[7][2] Slang added a troublemaker in Caribbean use (1995) and a copycat among New Zealand teenagers of the late 1990s.[8]

Timeline

  • 1611 – first known use, according to Merriam-Webster.[4]
  • 1755 – Johnson defines it as one who mingles.[6]
  • 1835 – one who or that which blends, in the OED.[2]
  • 1872 – an artist's brush for blending colours.[3]
  • 1942 – an electric food mixer, according to Etymonline.[3]
  • 1948 – an electric food mixer, in the OED.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. An electric kitchen appliance with fast-turning blades in a tall container, used to chop, purée or mix foods and liquids; in Britain also called a liquidizer: She tipped the strawberries into the blender.[7][2][4]
  2. A person or thing that blends, especially a worker who mixes grades of a product such as whisky or tobacco.[4][7][2]
  3. A tool, such as a soft brush, for blending colours.[4][2]
  4. (Caribbean slang) A person who likes to stir up conflict.[8]
  5. (New Zealand slang) A copycat.[8]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  6. ^ a b c Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
  7. ^ a b c Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
  8. ^ a b c Green, Jonathon (2010), Green's Dictionary of Slang, London: Chambers; digital ed. 2016–, https://greensdictofslang.com