I. ˈblend transitive verb
( blend “ ; or blent ˈblent ; blend·ed ; blending ; blends )
Etymology: Middle English blenden, literally, to blind, from Old English blendan; akin to Old High German blenten to blind, Old Frisian blenda, causatives from the root of English blind
archaic : bedazzle , blind , deceive
a villainous affair … and will one day so blend and confound us — Laurence Sterne
II. verb
( blended ˈblendə̇d ; also blent ˈblent ; blended also blent ; blending ; blends )
Etymology: Middle English blenden, modification of Old Norse blanda; akin to Old English blandan to mix, Old High German blantan to mix, Gothic blandan to associate, Lithuanian blandus thick (of soup), Sanskrit bradhna pale red, ruddy; basic meaning: obscure, indistinct
transitive verb
1. : mix , mingle ; especially : to mingle, combine, or associate so that the separate constituents or the line of demarcation cannot be distinguished
the new North Africa, in order to endure, must successfully blend the cultures of East and West — Lamp
blending flour with broth to thicken a gravy
2. : to prepare (as whiskey, flour, tobacco, or tea) by mixing and thoroughly intermingling different varieties or grades whether for purposes of adulteration or of standardization and improvement of qualities : make by mixing or blending
3. : to darken the hairs, (as the tips of the hairs) of (a fur) with dye
4. : to cause (paints or pigments) to mingle and shade into each other
5. : to reduce the bulk of (a turned seam) by trimming one edge
intransitive verb
1.
a. : to mingle intimately : pass or shade insensibly into one another
that vein of contempt for the crowd, which runs across Leonardo's writings, blended … with his vein of human sweetness — Havelock Ellis
b. : to combine into an integrated whole : unite
various traditional dishes blend into a distinctive and tasty meal
2. : to produce a harmonious effect : agree with or balance one another : harmonize — used especially of color, design, or objects in which these are of prime importance
how well the new curtains blend with the rug
pick a color that will blend with your skin
3. biology : to exhibit or possess a character that does not directly show the result of mendelian dominance or segregation but is intermediate between contrasting characters of the parents — compare blending inheritance
Synonyms: see mix
III. noun
( -s )
: something produced by blending: as
a. : a product (as a whiskey, a flour, or a tobacco) prepared by blending
b. : a congruous mixture of articles, qualities, or characteristics
the little sketch … is a wonderful blend of charm and gentle sadness — Bergen Evans
often : the harmonious product of such a mixture
associated with a racial blend that was henceforth to be distinctively English — Herbert Read
c. : a merging of one color or musical timbre into another
a little more concern for tonal quality and blend would have been welcome — Irving Kolodin
d. : a word composed of parts of two words (as chortle from chuckle and snort ), all of one word and part of another (as bookmobile from book and automobile ), or two entire words and characterized invariably in the latter case and frequently in the two former cases by single occurrence of one or more sounds or letters that appear in both the component words (as motel from motor hotel, camporee from camp and jamboree, aniseed from anise seed ) — compare contamination 3☞In this dict. the term blend is used in etymologies only when the entry word is characterized by single occurrence of one or more sounds or letters that appear in both the component words or by infixation of all or part of one component word within all or part of the other
e. biology : a blending character ; also : an individual exhibiting such a character — compare blending inheritance
f. : a compound of two or more elementary sensations that is experienced as a homogeneous unit
the color orange is a blend of red and yellow
g. : mixture 2d