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blemish

 - 6 dictionary results

blem⋅ish

[blem-ish]
–verb (used with object)
1. to destroy or diminish the perfection of: The book is blemished by those long, ineffective descriptions.
–noun
2. a mark that detracts from appearance, as a pimple or a scar.
3. a defect or flaw; stain; blight: a blemish on his record.

Origin:
1275–1325; ME (v.) < AF, MF blemiss-, long s. of ble(s)mir to make livid, perh. < Old Low Franconian *blesmjan; see blaze 2


blem⋅ish⋅er, noun


1. stain, sully, spot, tarnish, taint; injure, mar, damage, impair, deface. 3. blot, spot, speck, taint. See defect.


1. purify, repair.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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blem·ish   (blěm'ĭsh)   
tr.v.   blem·ished, blem·ish·ing, blem·ish·es
To mar or impair by a flaw.
n.  An imperfection that mars or impairs; a flaw or defect.

[Middle English blemisshen, from Old French blesmir, blemir, blemiss-, to make pale, of Germanic origin; see bhel-1 in Indo-European roots.]
blem'ish·er n.
Synonyms: These nouns denote loss or absence of perfection. A blemish is something thought to mar the appearance or character of a thing: "Industry in art is a necessity—not a virtue—and any evidence of the same, in the production, is a blemish" (James McNeill Whistler).
Imperfection and fault apply more comprehensively to any deficiency or shortcoming: "A true critic ought to dwell rather upon excellencies than imperfections" (Joseph Addison). "Each of us would point out to the other her most serious faults, and thereby help her to remedy them" (Anna Howard Shaw).
Defect denotes a serious functional or structural shortcoming: "Ill breeding . . . is not a single defect, it is the result of many" (Henry Fielding).
Flaw refers to an often small but always fundamental weakness: Experiments revealed a very basic flaw in the theory.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

blemish  (v.)
c.1325, from O.Fr. blemiss- "to turn pale," extended stem of blemir, blesmir "to injure, make pale," probably from Frank. *blesmjan "to cause to turn pale" (from the same source as blaze (1)). The noun is first recorded 1526.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: blem·ish
Pronunciation: 'blem-ish
Function: noun
: a mark of physical deformity or injury: as a : any small mark on theskin (as a pimple or birthmark) <blemishes on the adolescent skin may be a symptom of acne —Today's Health> b : a defect of an animal (as a horse) thatdetracts from its appearance but does not interfere with its usefulness
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

blemish blem·ish (blěm'ĭsh)
n.
A small circumscribed alteration of the skin considered to be unesthetic but insignificant.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Bible Dictionary

Blemish

imperfection or bodily deformity excluding men from the priesthood, and rendering animals unfit to be offered in sacrifice (Lev. 21:17-23; 22:19-25). The Christian church, as justified in Christ, is "without blemish" (Eph. 5:27). Christ offered himself a sacrifice "without blemish," acceptable to God (1 Pet. 1:19).

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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