blemish English · revision 1615

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈblɛmɪʃ/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|enm|blemisshen|t=to damage, sully]],^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate) [[der|fro|blemir|t=to make pale]], from its stem ''blemiss-''.^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate) The French verb is of Germanic origin,^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate) probably Frankish ''*blesmjan'' “to cause to turn pale”,^(Etymonline)^(RHWU)^(Barnhart 1995) and is related to [[blaze]] in the sense of a white mark.^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) Merriam-Webster glosses the French literally as “to make pale by wounding”.^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ To damage or deface (about 1325).^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1995)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The verb first meant to hurt or disfigure, physically or morally.^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline) From the mid-15th century it meant to mar the beauty or soundness of something that was otherwise excellent.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) The noun, formed from the verb in the 1520s, was first a moral stain^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) and from 1535 a physical mark or defect.^(OED 1989)^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * about 1325 – to hurt or deface.^(OED 1989)

+ * about 1380 – to impair morally.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)

+ * about 1460 – to mar the beauty or soundness of.^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline)

+ * 1526 – noun, a moral defect.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)

+ * 1535 – noun, a physical defect or disfigurement.^(OED 1989)^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A mark or flaw that spoils the appearance of something, such as a [[pimple]] or [[scar]].^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A moral defect or [[stain]], as on a reputation.^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ===Verb===

+ # To spoil the perfection or appearance of something.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[blemisher]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

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

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}