Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To combine or mix (different substances) so that the constituent parts are indistinguishable from one another.
  • intransitive verb To combine (varieties or grades of the same substance) to obtain a mixture of a particular character, quality, or consistency.
  • intransitive verb To combine (different elements) into a single entity: synonym: mix.
  • intransitive verb To form a uniform mixture.
  • intransitive verb To be unobtrusive or harmonious by resembling the surroundings or behaving like others in a group. Often used with in:
  • intransitive verb To create a harmonious effect or result.
  • noun The act of blending.
  • noun Something, such as an effect or a product, that is created by blending.
  • noun Linguistics A word produced by combining parts of other words, as smog from smoke and fog.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A mixing or mixture, as of liquids, colors, etc.: as, tea of our own blend.
  • noun The brand, kind, or quality produced by mixing together different sorts or qualities of a commodity: as, a fine blend of tea; the finest blend of whisky.
  • To blind; deceive.
  • To mix together in such a way that the things mixed become inseparable, or cannot easily be separated.
  • To cause to pass imperceptibly into one another; unite so that there shall be no perceptible line of division: as, to blend the colors of a painting.
  • To mix up in the mind; confound (one thing with another).
  • To stir up (a liquid); hence, to render turbid; figuratively, disturb.
  • To pollute by mixture; spoil or corrupt.
  • Synonyms Mix, etc. See mingle.
  • To mix or mingle; unite intimately so as to form a harmonious whole; unite so as to be indistinguishable.
  • To pass imperceptibly into each other: as, sea and sky seemed to blend.
  • In biology, to exhibit or transmit to descendants the resultant or combination of resemblances to the two parents in inheritance.
  • In psychology, to combine in such a way that the combining qualities are thrust more or less into the background by the total impression which results from their combination; fuse.
  • noun In psychology, a fusion; a connection of mental processes in which the constituents are forced into the background by the total impression.
  • noun A simplified spelling of blende.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • intransitive verb To mingle; to mix; to unite intimately; to pass or shade insensibly into each other, as colors.
  • noun A thorough mixture of one thing with another, as color, tint, etc., into another, so that it cannot be known where one ends or the other begins.
  • transitive verb To mix or mingle together; esp. to mingle, combine, or associate so that the separate things mixed, or the line of demarcation, can not be distinguished. Hence: To confuse; to confound.
  • transitive verb obsolete To pollute by mixture or association; to spoil or corrupt; to blot; to stain.
  • transitive verb obsolete To make blind, literally or figuratively; to dazzle; to deceive.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A mixture of two or more things.
  • noun linguistics A word formed by combining two other words; a grammatical contamination, portmanteau word.
  • verb transitive To mix.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the act of blending components together thoroughly
  • noun an occurrence of thorough mixing
  • verb mix together different elements
  • verb blend or harmonize
  • verb combine into one
  • noun a new word formed by joining two others and combining their meanings

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English blenden, probably from Old Norse blanda, blend-; see bhel- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English blenden, either from Old English blandan, blondan or from Old Norse blanda ("to blend, mix") (which was originally a strong verb with the present-tense stem blend; compare blendingr ("a blending, a mixture; a half-breed")), whence also Danish blande, or from a blend of the Old English and Old Norse terms. Compare Gothic 𐌱𐌻𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌰𐌽 (blandan), Old Church Slavonic блєсти (blesti, "to go astray").

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Examples

  • In popular use, the term blend is used for any word formed by shortening one word and combining what is left with all or part of another.

    VERBATIM: The Language Quarterly Vol II No 2 1975

  • Made with 38% merlot, 38% cabernet sauvignon, 12% cabernet franc and 12% petit verdot, this blend is a highly aromatic wine with aromas of black cherry, blackberry, blueberry jam, star anise and cinnamon.

    The 12 LI Wines of Christmas: #9 Paumanok Vineyards 2004 Assemblage 2007

  • Made with 38% merlot, 38% cabernet sauvignon, 12% cabernet franc and 12% petit verdot, this blend is a highly aromatic wine with aromas of black cherry, blackberry, blueberry jam, star anise and cinnamon.

    LENNDEVOURS: 2007

  • We've something what we call blend and extend, where we look at our largest leases.

    SeekingAlpha.com: Home Page 2009

  • She said that garam masala could sub, so I took a halfway route and kind of guestimated how much of various spices to add to my garam masala (the Parsi spice blend is much bigger than a basic garam masala).

    Archive 2009-06-01 Laura 2009

  • The blend is then mixed with glass pigments to produce the brilliant colors; then it is covered in fiberglass and cools down to a smooth crystalline finish.

    Beach House With Transparent Glass Walls And A Modern Interior 2009

  • Herbal teas are very flexible in terms of ingredients and thus taste, and so a chocolate herbal blend is the most approachable type of chocolate-flavored tea.

    On Chocolate Teas | Tea Derivations 2010

  • It, or a polyester blend, is a good choice for sitting areas since polyester is resistant to wrinkles.

    Decorating White Spaces by Adding a Delicate Touch of Color 2009

  • Herbal teas are very flexible in terms of ingredients and thus taste, and so a chocolate herbal blend is the most approachable type of chocolate-flavored tea.

    2010 February | Tea Derivations 2010

  • She said that garam masala could sub, so I took a halfway route and kind of guestimated how much of various spices to add to my garam masala (the Parsi spice blend is much bigger than a basic garam masala).

    Sabzi Dhan Shak (Parsi Spicy Squash & Legume Stew) Laura 2009

Comments

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  • {blend]- a simple, yet marvelous word: Does blending illuminate? Does it blind? Does it reach solution? This is a both/and/and... word as opposed to a either/or word

    January 16, 2007