Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- v. To mar or impair by a flaw.
- n. An imperfection that mars or impairs; a flaw or defect.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- To damage or impair (especially something that is well formed, or in other respects excellent); mar or make defective; destroy the perfection of; deface; sully.
- To impair morally; tarnish, as reputation or character; defame; stain: as, to blemish one's fair fame.
- n. A defect, flaw, or imperfection; something that mars beauty, completeness, or perfection.
- n. A moral defect or injury; reproach; disgrace; that which impairs reputation; imputation.
Wiktionary
- n. A small flaw which spoils the appearance of something, a stain, a spot.
- n. A moral defect; a character flaw.
- v. To spoil the appearance of.
GNU Webster's 1913
- v. To mark with deformity; to injure or impair, as anything which is well formed, or excellent; to mar, or make defective, either the body or mind.
- v. To tarnish, as reputation or character; to defame.
- n. Any mark of deformity or injury, whether physical or moral; anything that diminishes beauty, or renders imperfect that which is otherwise well formed; that which impairs reputation.
WordNet 3.0
- v. mar or spoil the appearance of
- n. a mark or flaw that spoils the appearance of something (especially on a person's body)
- v. add a flaw or blemish to; make imperfect or defective
- v. mar or impair with a flaw
Etymologies
- From Middle English blemisshen, blemissen, from Old French blemiss-, stem of Old French blemir, blesmir ("make pale, injure, wound, bruise"), from Old Frankish *blesmjan, *blasmjan (“to make pale”), from Old Frankish *blasmi (“pale”), from Proto-Germanic *blasaz (“white, pale”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- (“to shine”). Cognate with Dutch bles ("white spot"), German blass ("pale"), Old English āblered ("bare, uncovered, bald"). (Wiktionary)
- Middle English blemisshen, from Old French blesmir, blemir, blemiss-, to make pale, of Germanic origin; see bhel-1 in Indo-European roots. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“Hes a very aggressive player whose only blemish is that hes not a great skater.”
“It is being described as a blemish on Egypt and Egyptians.”
“As the Star Tribune's Emily Johns reported last week, "The state's vexing achievement gap has become a long-term blemish on an otherwise good reputation for educational performance.”
“Gaudi’s blemish is a symptom of the Disneyfication of Christianity, as I told a girl, persuading but failing to impress.”
“Well that's a malignant tumor calling a blemish melanoma.”
“Her minuteness of detail has also been found fault with; but even where it produces, at the time, a degree of tediousness, we know not whether that can justly be reckoned a blemish, which is absolutely essential to”
“They were both of that rich dark reddish roan, and wonderfully alike, the differences being in their legs; one being nearly black in this important part of its person, the other having what most purchasers would call the blemish of four white legs -- it being a canon amongst the wise in horseflesh that”
“Sir Jasper brought a reassuring account of the poor little steed, which would be usable again after a short rest, and the blemish was the less important as there was no intention of selling him.”
“January 11th, 2010 RIHANNA has lashed out at vicious internet gossip which suggested ex-boyfriend CHRIS BROWN beat her after she contracted a cold sore on her lip - angrily insisting the blemish is a scar.”
Gaea Times (by Simple Thoughts) Breaking News and incisive views 24/7
“Chris Brown beat her after she contracted a cold sore on her lip - angrily insisting the blemish is a scar.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘blemish’.
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GRE Barrons Wordlist
A complete Barron's Wordlist for GRE preparation. Your online flashcard replacement.
abase, abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abject, abjure and 4087 more...
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Steampunk
Words used quite often in steampunk
ansible, airship, chymical, valve, clockwork, dirigible, thaumaturgy, copper, bronze, difference engine, gear, rivets and 516 more...
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Mark
scrawl, blemish, spot, mar, damage, speckle, bespatter, splash, smirch, stain, tattoo, impress and 20 more...
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Words that end in "-ish" but aren't a...
embellish, flourish, garnish, rubbish, nourish, admonish, punish, finish, blemish, abolish, accomplish, parish and 41 more...
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Verb ish
English verbs that end in -ish.
Most of these come from Old French stems that end in 'iss' like floriss-, brandiss-, distinguiss-, etc.
Exceptions are: Fish, Wish, Dish (f...flourish, brandish, vanish, astonish, perish, polish, nourish, famish, accomplish, admonish, banish, blemish and 24 more...
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big book gre
abase, abbess, abbey, abbot, abdicate, abdomen, abdominal, abduction, abed, aberration, abet, abeyance and 6691 more...
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pagecrusher's Words
fugu, ilk, rigamarole, superfluous, dearth, sacrosanct, moniker, bifurcate, villainous, onus, brazen, odin and 268 more...
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ChortleGiggleSnort
Significant Words- Guiding you on your path to Snazzibility
flimsy, feeble, ranting, ramble, narky, snazzy, yoghurt, bulbous, pustule, globulous, geranium, megalomaniac and 521 more...
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Words I Know
List of most of the words I've learned
garner, abase, abate, abdicate, abduct, aberration, abet, abhor, abide, abject, abjure, abnegation and 1046 more...
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newGRE
mostly from magoosh
imbue, verge on, nonchalant, deliberate, timorous, futile, provisional, dissect, checked, tinged, alluring, visionary and 1046 more...
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Revised GRE Wordlist_2013
Vocabulary building for my quest of GRE 2013
ephemeral, esoteric, rhetoric, censure, egregious, pittance, dupe, mulct, paucity, alacrity, maintain, laconic and 997 more...
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Some Words I Love to Use
arcology, strumpet, crux, confected, pedant, bluestocking, cogitation, incensed, lovecraftian, cygnet, dactyl, adytum and 539 more...
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What Do You Mean @
What Abt these ... :)
somber, self effacing, conundrum, outlandish, mesmerize, endemic, shelve, fledgling, acolyte, absurd, rampant, narcissist and 163 more...
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merfee's Words
supple, dichotomy, relish, rhapsody, pneumonoultramicr..., embrace, ishmael, ebullient, recalcitrant, elegy, char, lugubrious and 522 more...
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ash
ash
abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abide, abject, abjure and 4874 more...
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words
words
spartan, cram, quill, furor, rampart, enervate, placate, agitate, galvanize, spur, pricker, infuriate and 273 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for blemish.
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