blush

[bluhsh] /blʌʃ/
verb (used without object)
1.
to redden, as from embarrassment or shame:
He blushed when they called him a conquering hero.
2.
to feel shame or embarrassment (often followed by at or for):
Your behavior makes me blush for your poor mother.
3.
(of the sky, flowers, etc.) to become rosy.
4.
(of new house paint or lacquer) to become cloudy or dull through moisture or excessive evaporation of solvents.
verb (used with object)
5.
to make red; flush.
6.
to make known by a blush:
She could not help blushing the truth.
noun
7.
a reddening, as of the face.
8.
rosy or pinkish tinge.
9.
blusher (def 2).
10.
Also called blush· wine·, rosé.
Idioms
11.
at first blush, without previous knowledge or adequate consideration; at first glance:
At first blush, the solution to the problem seemed simple enough.
Origin
1275-1325; (v.) Middle English bluschen, Old English blyscan to redden; akin to Old English blysa, Old Norse blys, Middle Low German blus torch, bloschen to blaze; (noun) Middle English blusch, blisch, derivative of the v.
Related forms
blushful, adjective
blushfully, adverb
blushfulness, noun
blushingly, adverb
blushless, adjective
outblush, verb (used with object)
Synonyms
1. flush, color.
Antonyms
1. pale, blanch.
British Dictionary definitions for at first blush

blush

/blʌʃ/
verb
1.
(intransitive) to become suddenly red in the face from embarrassment, shame, modesty, or guilt; redden
2.
to make or become reddish or rosy
noun
3.
a sudden reddening of the face from embarrassment, shame, modesty, or guilt
4.
a rosy glow: the blush of a peach
5.
a reddish or pinkish tinge
6.
a cloudy area on the surface of freshly applied gloss paint
7.
at first blush, when first seen; as a first impression
Derived Forms
blushful, adjective
blushing, noun, adjective
blushingly, adverb
Word Origin
Old English blӯscan; related to blӯsian to burn, Middle Low German blüsen to light a fire
Word Origin and History for at first blush

blush

v.

mid-14c., bluschen, blischen, probably from Old English blyscan "blush, become red, glow" (glossing Latin rutilare), akin to blyse "torch," from Proto-Germanic *blisk- "to shine, burn," which also yielded words in Low German (e.g. Dutch blozen "to blush") and Scandinavian (e.g. Danish blusse "to blaze; to blush"); ultimately from PIE *bhel- (1) "to shine, flash, burn" (see bleach (v.)).

For vowel evolution, see bury. Earliest recorded senses were "to shine brightly; to look, stare." Sense of "turn red in the face" (with shame, modesty, etc.) is from c.1400. Related: Blushed; blushing.

n.

mid-14c., "a look, a glance" (sense preserved in at first blush), also "a gleam, a gleaming" (late 14c.), from blush (v.). As "a reddening of the face" from 1590s. Meaning "a rosy color" is 1590s.

at first blush in Medicine

blush (blŭsh)
n.
A sudden and brief redness of the face and neck due to emotion; flush.

blush v.
Idioms and Phrases with at first blush

at first blush

Also, at first glance or sight . When first seen. For example, At first blush we thought it was an elegant restaurant, but it soon became obvious that it was hardly the place for a special dinner , or At first glance the contract looked just fine . All three phrases date from the 1300s. The noun blush is used with the obsolete meaning “glimpse” or “momentary view” and in this idiom has nothing to do with showing embarrassment. Also see love at first sight

blush

see: at first blush