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blush

Pronunciation: /ˈblʌʃ/

The English word “blush” has 15 meanings listed here.

noun

  1. An act of blushing; a pink or red glow on the face caused by embarrassment, shame, shyness, love, etc.
  2. A glow; a flush of colour, especially pink or red.
  3. A feeling or appearance of optimism.
  4. A cosmetic, frequently a powder, used to redden the cheeks and lips.
  5. A color between pink and cream.
  6. The collective noun for a group of boys.

verb

  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.
  2. To be shy, ashamed, or embarrassed (to do something).
  3. To become red or pink.
  4. To suffuse with a blush; to redden; to pinken; to make rosy.
  5. To change skin color in the face (to a particular shade).
  6. To express or make known by blushing.
  7. To have a warm and delicate colour, like some roses and other flowers.
  8. To glance with the eye, cast a glance.
  9. Of dope or varnish: to develop an undesirable white precipitate on the surface, due to being applied in humid conditions.

Etymology

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…

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.