Webster
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Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Blemish

Blem′ish (blĕm′ĭsh), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Blemished; p. pr. & vb. n. Blemishing.] [OE. blemissen, blemishen, OF. blemir, blesmir, to strike, injure, soil, F. blêmir to grow pale, fr. OF. bleme, blesme, pale, wan, F. blême, prob. fr. Icel blāman the livid color of a wound, fr. blār blue; akin to E. blue. OF. blemir properly signifies to beat one (black and) blue, and to render blue or dirty. See Blue.] 1. To mark with deformity; to injure or impair, as anything which is well formed, or excellent; to mar, or make defective, either the body or mind.

Sin is a soil which blemisheth the beauty of thy soul. Brathwait.

2. To tarnish, as reputation or character; to defame.

There had nothing passed between us that might blemish reputation. Oldys.

Blem′ish, n.; pl. Blemishes. Any mark of deformity or injury, whether physical or moral; anything that diminishes beauty, or renders imperfect that which is otherwise well formed; that which impairs reputation.

He shall take two he lambs without blemish, and one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish. Lev. xiv. 10.

The reliefs of an envious man are those little blemishes and imperfections that discover themselves in an illustrious character. Spectator.

Syn. — Spot; speck; flaw; deformity; stain; defect; fault; taint; reproach; dishonor; imputation; disgrace.

Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Noah Porter, editor (Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913). Public domain. Text as transcribed by MICRA, Inc., from Project Gutenberg. Changed for Deep Dive Bible: Greek, which our source spelled in Latin letters, set in Greek letters; entries of one spelling merged into one article; Greek words our source left out (shown as “?”), read from the 1898 printing, from the same plates (the Library of Congress’s copy), where the place could be found with certainty. Of the others, 1,362 (a word or a single letter each) were inferred by AI from the context by the dictionary’s own rules and are marked with a wavy underline (tap or point at one to see the note); the rest, which could not be inferred with confidence, are left as “?”.