I. ˈbläch noun
( -es )
Etymology: probably alteration (influenced by blister or blain ) of botch swelling
1.
a. : imperfection , blemish
face covered with blotches
sometimes : a moral flaw : fault
b. : a spot or mark (as of color or ink) especially when large or irregular
2. : a disease of plants characterized by dark, irregular, and often diffusely margined spots on the leaves or fruit:
a. : a disease of apples caused by an imperfect fungus ( Phyllosticta solitaria ) producing small dark spots on the leaves and fruit and cankers on the tree
b. : black spot 1c — see net blotch , spot blotch
II. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-es )
: to mark or mar with blotches
the mimosa blotched the faces of the hills as monotone and pale as mustard — Elizabeth Bowen
an elder man, stout, and blotched with scurvy — Sheridan Le Fanu
III. adjective
of textile printing : involving production of a black or colored ground