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Blush

//blʌʃ// noun, verb

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    An act of blushing; a pink or red glow on the face caused by embarrassment, shame, shyness, love, etc. countable, uncountable

    "Why, Warwick, canst thou speak against thy liege, Whom thou obeyed’st thirty and six years, And not bewray thy treason with a blush?"

  2. 2
    The collective noun for a group of boys.

    "a blush of boys"

  3. 3
    sudden reddening of the face (as from embarrassment or guilt or shame or modesty) wordnet
  4. 4
    A glow; a flush of colour, especially pink or red. countable, uncountable

    "And now the rosy blush of morn began to mantle in the east, and soon the rising sun, emerging from amidst golden and purple clouds, shed his blithesome rays on the tin weathercocks of Communipaw."

  5. 5
    makeup consisting of a pink or red powder applied to the cheeks wordnet
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  1. 6
    A feeling or appearance of optimism. countable, figuratively, uncountable

    "1974, “April's Fading Carnation,” Time, 9 September, 1974,https://web.archive.org/web/20130813201436/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,904100,00.html The independence ceremony could not keep the blush of April's revolution, when carnations had seemed to sprout from every buttonhole, from fading."

  2. 7
    a rosy color (especially in the cheeks) taken as a sign of good health wordnet
  3. 8
    A sort of makeup, frequently a powder, used to redden the cheeks. countable, uncountable

    "The same rules that apply to face powder apply to powder blush, since neither contains water. Cream blush, however, should be replaced after a year. To prolong the life of any blush, clean your blush brush regularly and store the product in a dry place."

  4. 9
    A color between pink and cream. countable, uncountable

    "Makeup colors like ivory and blush dominate spring collections and have even infiltrated Burberry's shoes."

  5. 10
    A pale pink wine made by removing the dark grape skins at the required point during fermentation. US, countable, uncountable

    "2016, Mishkah Abrahams, “Blush or Rosé? The Cape's Best Summer Drink,” capetownetc.com, 29 September, 2016, If you’re looking to indulge in some good food while you sip your blush, pair the Chardonnay-Pinot Noir with fresh, summer foods such as sushi, refreshing salads, delicious seafood and fruity summertime desserts."

Verb
  1. 1
    To become red or pink in the face (and sometimes experience an associated feeling of warmth), especially due to shyness, love, shame, excitement, or embarrassment. intransitive

    "The love scene made him blush to the roots of his hair / to the tips of his ears."

  2. 2
    turn red, as if in embarrassment or shame wordnet
  3. 3
    To be shy, ashamed, or embarrassed (to do something). figuratively, intransitive

    "While Cato lives, Caesar will blush to see Mankind enslaved, and be ashamed of Empire."

  4. 4
    become rosy or reddish wordnet
  5. 5
    To become red or pink. intransitive

    "The sun of heaven, methought, was loth to set, But stayed, and made the western welkin blush,"

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  1. 6
    To suffuse with a blush; to redden; to pinken; to make rosy. transitive

    "[the ghost] with the heart there cools and ne’er returneth To blush and beautify the cheek again."

  2. 7
    To change skin color in the face (to a particular shade). copulative

    "When he saw it, he blushed a beet red."

  3. 8
    To express or make known by blushing. transitive

    "Looking at me with a knowing glare, she blushed her discomfort with the situation."

  4. 9
    To have a warm and delicate colour, like some roses and other flowers. intransitive

    "The garden was full of blossoms that blushed in myriad shades to form a beautiful carpet of color."

  5. 10
    To glance with the eye, cast a glance. intransitive, obsolete
  6. 11
    Of dope or varnish: to develop an undesirable white precipitate on the surface, due to being applied in humid conditions. intransitive

    "Blushing is caused by doping under high relative humidity conditions."

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English blusshen, bluschen, blusschen, blisshen, from Old English blysċan (“to be red; shine”), perhaps from Proto-Germanic *blaskijaną, from *blasǭ (“burning candle; torch”) or alternatively from Proto-Germanic *bluskijaną, from *blusjǭ (“torch”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel-. Cognate with Middle Low German blöschen (“to blush”). Compare also Old English blysian (“to burn; blaze”), Dutch blozen (“to blush”), Danish blusse (“to blush”), Old Norse blys (“torch”), Danish blus (“blaze”).

Etymology 2

From Middle English blusshen, bluschen, blusschen, blisshen, from Old English blysċan (“to be red; shine”), perhaps from Proto-Germanic *blaskijaną, from *blasǭ (“burning candle; torch”) or alternatively from Proto-Germanic *bluskijaną, from *blusjǭ (“torch”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel-. Cognate with Middle Low German blöschen (“to blush”). Compare also Old English blysian (“to burn; blaze”), Dutch blozen (“to blush”), Danish blusse (“to blush”), Old Norse blys (“torch”), Danish blus (“blaze”).

Etymology 3

Unknown; attested in the late 15th century.

See also for "blush"

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