Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To combine or mix (different substances) so that the constituent parts are indistinguishable from one another.
  • intransitive verb To combine (varieties or grades of the same substance) to obtain a mixture of a particular character, quality, or consistency.
  • intransitive verb To combine (different elements) into a single entity: synonym: mix.
  • intransitive verb To form a uniform mixture.
  • intransitive verb To be unobtrusive or harmonious by resembling the surroundings or behaving like others in a group. Often used with in:
  • intransitive verb To create a harmonious effect or result.
  • noun The act of blending.
  • noun Something, such as an effect or a product, that is created by blending.
  • noun Linguistics A word produced by combining parts of other words, as smog from smoke and fog.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A mixing or mixture, as of liquids, colors, etc.: as, tea of our own blend.
  • noun The brand, kind, or quality produced by mixing together different sorts or qualities of a commodity: as, a fine blend of tea; the finest blend of whisky.
  • noun A simplified spelling of blende.
  • To blind; deceive.
  • To mix together in such a way that the things mixed become inseparable, or cannot easily be separated.
  • To cause to pass imperceptibly into one another; unite so that there shall be no perceptible line of division: as, to blend the colors of a painting.
  • To mix up in the mind; confound (one thing with another).
  • To stir up (a liquid); hence, to render turbid; figuratively, disturb.
  • To pollute by mixture; spoil or corrupt.
  • Synonyms Mix, etc. See mingle.
  • To mix or mingle; unite intimately so as to form a harmonious whole; unite so as to be indistinguishable.
  • To pass imperceptibly into each other: as, sea and sky seemed to blend.
  • In biology, to exhibit or transmit to descendants the resultant or combination of resemblances to the two parents in inheritance.
  • In psychology, to combine in such a way that the combining qualities are thrust more or less into the background by the total impression which results from their combination; fuse.
  • noun In psychology, a fusion; a connection of mental processes in which the constituents are forced into the background by the total impression.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • intransitive verb To mingle; to mix; to unite intimately; to pass or shade insensibly into each other, as colors.
  • transitive verb To mix or mingle together; esp. to mingle, combine, or associate so that the separate things mixed, or the line of demarcation, can not be distinguished. Hence: To confuse; to confound.
  • transitive verb obsolete To pollute by mixture or association; to spoil or corrupt; to blot; to stain.
  • transitive verb obsolete To make blind, literally or figuratively; to dazzle; to deceive.
  • noun A thorough mixture of one thing with another, as color, tint, etc., into another, so that it cannot be known where one ends or the other begins.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A mixture of two or more things.
  • noun linguistics A word formed by combining two other words; a grammatical contamination, portmanteau word.
  • verb transitive To mix.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the act of blending components together thoroughly
  • noun an occurrence of thorough mixing
  • verb mix together different elements
  • verb blend or harmonize
  • verb combine into one
  • noun a new word formed by joining two others and combining their meanings

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English blenden, probably from Old Norse blanda, blend-; see bhel- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English blenden, either from Old English blandan, blondan or from Old Norse blanda ("to blend, mix") (which was originally a strong verb with the present-tense stem blend; compare blendingr ("a blending, a mixture; a half-breed")), whence also Danish blande, or from a blend of the Old English and Old Norse terms. Compare Gothic 𐌱𐌻𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌰𐌽 (blandan), Old Church Slavonic блєсти (blesti, "to go astray").

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Examples

  • In popular use, the term blend is used for any word formed by shortening one word and combining what is left with all or part of another.

    VERBATIM: The Language Quarterly Vol II No 2 1975

  • Made with 38% merlot, 38% cabernet sauvignon, 12% cabernet franc and 12% petit verdot, this blend is a highly aromatic wine with aromas of black cherry, blackberry, blueberry jam, star anise and cinnamon.

    The 12 LI Wines of Christmas: #9 Paumanok Vineyards 2004 Assemblage 2007

  • Made with 38% merlot, 38% cabernet sauvignon, 12% cabernet franc and 12% petit verdot, this blend is a highly aromatic wine with aromas of black cherry, blackberry, blueberry jam, star anise and cinnamon.

    LENNDEVOURS: 2007

  • We've something what we call blend and extend, where we look at our largest leases.

    SeekingAlpha.com: Home Page 2009

  • She said that garam masala could sub, so I took a halfway route and kind of guestimated how much of various spices to add to my garam masala (the Parsi spice blend is much bigger than a basic garam masala).

    Archive 2009-06-01 Laura 2009

  • The blend is then mixed with glass pigments to produce the brilliant colors; then it is covered in fiberglass and cools down to a smooth crystalline finish.

    Beach House With Transparent Glass Walls And A Modern Interior 2009

  • Herbal teas are very flexible in terms of ingredients and thus taste, and so a chocolate herbal blend is the most approachable type of chocolate-flavored tea.

    On Chocolate Teas | Tea Derivations 2010

  • It, or a polyester blend, is a good choice for sitting areas since polyester is resistant to wrinkles.

    Decorating White Spaces by Adding a Delicate Touch of Color 2009

  • Herbal teas are very flexible in terms of ingredients and thus taste, and so a chocolate herbal blend is the most approachable type of chocolate-flavored tea.

    2010 February | Tea Derivations 2010

  • She said that garam masala could sub, so I took a halfway route and kind of guestimated how much of various spices to add to my garam masala (the Parsi spice blend is much bigger than a basic garam masala).

    Sabzi Dhan Shak (Parsi Spicy Squash & Legume Stew) Laura 2009

Comments

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  • {blend]- a simple, yet marvelous word: Does blending illuminate? Does it blind? Does it reach solution? This is a both/and/and... word as opposed to a either/or word

    January 16, 2007