Crossword clues for blemish
blemish
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Blemish \Blem"ish\, n.; pl. Blemishes. 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.
He shall take two he lambs without blemish, and one ewe
lamb of the first year without blemish.
--Lev. xiv.
10.
The reliefs of an envious man are those little
blemishes and imperfections that discover themselves in
an illustrious character.
--Spectator.
Syn: Spot; speck; flaw; deformity; stain; defect; fault; taint; reproach; dishonor; imputation; disgrace.
Blemish \Blem"ish\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Blemished; p. pr. & vb. n. Blemishing.] [OE. blemissen, blemishen, OF. blemir, blesmir, to strike, injure, soil, F. bl[^e]mir to grow pale, fr. OF. bleme, blesme, pale, wan, F. bl[^e]me, prob. fr. Icel bl[=a]man the livid color of a wound, fr. bl[=a]r blue; akin to E. blue. OF. blemir properly signifies to beat one (black and) blue, and to render blue or dirty. See Blue.]
-
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.
Sin is a soil which blemisheth the beauty of thy soul.
--Brathwait. -
To tarnish, as reputation or character; to defame.
There had nothing passed between us that might blemish reputation.
--Oldys.
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
early 14c., "to hurt, damage," from Old French blemiss- "to turn pale," extended stem of blemir, blesmir "to make pale; stain, discolor," also "to injure" (13c., Modern French blêmir), probably from Frankish *blesmjan "to cause to turn pale," or some other Germanic source, from Proto-Germanic *blas "shining, white," from PIE root *bhel- (1) "to shine, flash, burn" (see bleach (v.)).\n
\nThe order of appearance of senses in Middle English is "hurt, damage;" "impair morally, sully" (late 14c.); "mar, spoil, injure" (early 15c.); "to mar the beauty or soundness of" (mid-15c.). Related: Blemished; blemishing.
1520s, from blemish (v.).
Wiktionary
n. 1 A small flaw which spoils the appearance of something, a stain, a spot. 2 A moral defect; a character flaw. vb. 1 To spoil the appearance of. 2 To tarnish (reputation, character, etc.); to defame.
WordNet
n. a mark or flaw that spoils the appearance of something (especially on a person's body); "a facial blemish" [syn: defect, mar]
v. mar or spoil the appearance of; "scars defaced her cheeks"; "The vandals disfigured the statue" [syn: deface, disfigure]
mar or impair with a flaw; "her face was blemished" [syn: spot]
add a flaw or blemish to; make imperfect or defective [syn: flaw]
Wikipedia
Blemish may refer to:
- A minor imperfection. For skin imperfection, see Acne vulgaris
- Blemish (album), a music album from David Sylvian released in 2003
Blemish is the sixth solo album by David Sylvian. It is experimental in its use of electronics and sound. It features avant-garde guitarist Derek Bailey, and Austrian guitarist and electronic musician Fennesz. The album was released in May 2003, and documents the disintegration of Sylvian's relationship with his wife, Ingrid Chavez.
Usage examples of "blemish".
He was furred like one of the improbable animals in the bestiary, but there was no blemish on his chest.
The teenager looked, pointing to a circular blemish on the feather-edge timber wall of the barn.
She reached up boldly and touched his cheek where the blemish stained his skin, then flushed and pulled her hand away.
Ideas had their moment in the sun, and if the glare revealed a blemish, they were banished.
There was a blemish in the execution of the song, but to Alonzo it seemed an added charm instead of a defect.
This blemish consisted of a marked flatting of the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh notes of the refrain or chorus of the piece.
There was not a blemish anywhere on her skin, save a few bruises on her upper arms acquired, she said, from other inmates trying to steal her satins.
Neither of you has so much as a single blemish -- unless constantly leaking breasts should be so considered!
Her complexion took the brunt of that brilliance and revealed not a single blemish or flaw.
Remember, many of those Eastern peoples regard body hair as a blemish on either sex.
I could be sorry for cripples, but I would never believe that giving a blemish a noble name made it either an ornament or a noble blemish.
Except for the little crescent scar on her throat, she bore not a blemish, which was not true of the noble maidens she attended.
He had erased the blemish completely and then faintly shaded the area so that it looked like the rest of her skin.
Grace had no mole or blemish anywhere on her body, but the thought of being pawed and peered at by this obscene crew filled her with revulsion.
Americans had their blemishes, particularly a curious kind of practical self-righteousness, but at least they did not brim with the world-weariness Europeans often equated with cultural maturity.