bruise

verbnounattested in dialogue

United Kingdom//bɹuːz//
United Kingdom//bɹʉwz//
United States//bɹuz//
Australia//bɹʉːz//
//bɾɪu̯z//

To strike (a person), originally with something flat or heavy, but now specifically in such a way as to discolour the skin without breaking it; to contuse.

verb

1
To strike (a person), originally with something flat or heavy, but now specifically in such a way as to discolour the skin without breaking it; to contuse.
It is as I have spoken: the testing first, next the bruising, and in the last bout the breaking and killing.
2
To damage the skin of (fruit or vegetables), in an analogous way.
3
Of fruit or vegetables, to gain bruises through being handled roughly.
Bananas bruise easily.
4
To become bruised.
I bruise easily.
5
To fight with the fists; to box.
Bruising was considered a fine, manly, old English custom.
6
figurativeTo harm or injure somebody's feelings or self-esteem.
Her thoughtless remarks bruised my ego.
I was bruised by such wanton criticism.
7
To impair (gin) by shaking rather than stirring.

Etymology

From Middle English bruisen, brusen, brosen, brisen, bresen, from a merger two words, both ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰrews- (“to break”): * Old English brȳsan, brīesan (“to bruise; crush”), from Proto-Germanic *brausijaną, *brūsijaną (“to break; crumble; crack”). Provided the word's sense. * Anglo-Norman bruiser, bruser (“to break, smash, shatter”), from Gaulish *brus-, from Proto-Celtic *bruseti (“to break”). Provided the word's form. Cognate with Scots brizz, German brausen (“to roar; boom; pound”), Old English brosnian (“to crumble, fall apart”), Dutch broos (“brittle”), German Brosame (“crumb”), dialectal Norwegian brøysk (“breakable”), Latin frustum (“bit, scrap”), Old Church Slavonic бръснути (brŭsnuti, “to rake”), Albanian breshër (“hail”).

noun

1
A purplish mark on the skin due to leakage of blood from capillaries under the surface that have been damaged by a blow.
2
A dark mark on fruit or vegetables caused by a blow to the surface.

Forms

plural: bruises
past tense: bruised
past participle: bruised
present participle: bruising
third person singular: bruises

Browning · A surname from Old English.bruce · A man.Bruce · A Scottish surname, most notably of Robert the Bruce.

bruise · To strike (a person), originally with something flat or heavy, but now specifically in such a way as to discolour the skin without breaking it; to…

bruised · Synonym of debruised.bruising · That bruises.brunch · A meal eaten later in the day than breakfast and earlier than…

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