BLAZE

n. & v. --n. 1 a white mark on an animal's face. 2 a mark made on a tree by slashing the bark esp. to mark a route. --v.tr. mark (a tree or a path) by chipping bark. øblaze a trail 1 mark out a path or route. 2 be the first to do, invent, or study something; pioneer. [17th c.: ult. rel. to BLAZE(1)]