bruise

Bruise means to injure the outside of something or someone.

(verb)

  1. An example of bruise is to punch someone and cause a black and blue mark.
  2. An example of bruise is to push hard on a piece of fruit, making a dent in the skin of the fruit and causing the fruit to darken.

The definition of a bruise is an injured area of a surface that becomes discolored, or to crush with force, or the hurt of a person's feelings.

(noun)

  1. An example of a bruise is a black and blue injury on the skin.
  2. An example of a bruise is to crush mint leaves in a mortar and pestle to bring out the scent and taste of the mint for a cocktail.
  3. An example of a bruise is to tell someone something that makes them feel bad about themselves.

YourDictionary definition and usage example. Copyright © 2013 by LoveToKnow Corp.

See bruise in Webster's New World College Dictionary

transitive verb bruised, bruising

  1. to injure (body tissue), as by a blow, without breaking the skin but causing discoloration
  2. to injure the surface or outside of, causing spoilage, denting, etc.: bruised peaches, a bruised auto fender
  3. to crush with or as with mortar and pestle
  4. to hurt (the feelings, spirit, etc.)

Origin: ME bruisen < OE brysan, to crush, pound < IE base *bhreus-, to smash, crush; ME form & meaning infl. by OFr bruisier, to break, shatter < Gaul *brus- < same IE base

intransitive verb

  1. to bruise tissue, a surface, etc.
  2. to be or become bruised

noun

  1. a bruised area of tissue, of a surface, etc.
  2. an injury to one's feelings, spirit, etc.

See bruise in American Heritage Dictionary 4

verb bruised bruised, bruis·ing, bruis·es
verb, transitive
  1. a. To injure the underlying soft tissue or bone of (part of the body) without breaking the skin, as by a blow.
    b. To damage (plant tissue), as by abrasion or pressure: bruised the fruit by careless packing.
  2. To dent or mar.
  3. To pound (berries, for example) into fragments; crush.
  4. To hurt, especially psychologically.
verb, intransitive
To experience or undergo bruising: Peaches bruise easily.
noun
  1. An injury to underlying tissues or bone in which the skin is not broken, often characterized by ruptured blood vessels and discolorations.
  2. A similar injury to plant tissue, often resulting in discoloration or spoilage.
  3. An injury, especially to one's feelings.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English bruisen

Origin: , from Old English brȳsan, to crush,

Origin: and from Old North French bruisier (of Germanic origin)

.

Learn more about bruise

bruise

link/cite print suggestion box