Emily Dickinson Lexicon

BLAME'FUL-NESS, n.

State of being blameful.

BLAME'LESS, a.

Without fault; innocent; guiltless; not meriting censure. A bishop then must be blameless. – 1 Tim. iii. Sometimes followed by of. We will be blameless of this thine oath. – Josh. ii.

BLAME'LESS-LY, adv.

Innocently; without fault or crime. – Hammond.

BLAME'LESS-NESS, n.

Innocence; a state of being not worthy of censure. – Hammond.

BLAM'ER, n.

One who blames, finds fault, or censures.

BLAME'WOR-THI-NESS, n.

The quality of deserving censure.

BLAME'WOR-THY, a. [blame and worthy.]

Deserving blame; censurable; culpable; reprehensible. – Martin.

BLAM'ING, ppr.

Censuring; finding fault.

BLANC'ARD, n. [Fr. blanc, white, and ard, kind.]

A kind of linen cloth manufactured in Normandy, so called because the thread is half blanched before it is wove. – Encyc.

BLANCH, v.i.

To evade; to shift; to speak softly. – Johnson. Rather, to fail or withhold; to be reserved; to remain blank, or empty. Books will speak plain, when counselors blanch. – Bacon.

BLANCH, v.t. [Fr. blanchir; It. bianchire, the l suppressed as in blame; Sp. blanquear; Port. branquear, l changed into r; Eng. blank. See Bleach.]

1. To whiten; to take out the color, and make white; to obliterate. – Dryden.
2. To slur; to balk; to pass over; that is, to avoid; to make empty. [Obs.] – Bacon.
3. To strip or peel; as, to blanch almonds. – Wiseman.

BLANCH'ED, pp.

Whitened.

BLANCH'ER, n.

One who whitens; also, one who anneals, and cleanses money.

BLANCH-IM'E-TER, n. [blanch, and Gr. μετρον, measure.]

An instrument for measuring the bleaching power of oxymuriate [chloride] of lime, and potash. – Ure.

BLANCH'ING, ppr.

Whitening. In coinage, the operation of giving brightness to pieces of silver, by heating them on a peel, and afterwards boiling them successively in two pans of copper, with aqua fortis, common salt, and tartar of Montpelier; then draining off the water in a sieve: sand and fresh water are then thrown over them, and when dry, they are rubbed with a towel. – Encyc. The covering of iron plates with a thin coat of tin is also called blanching. – Encyc. Blanch-ferm, or blank farm, in ancient law, a white farm, was one, where the rent was paid in silver, not in cattle. – Encyc. Blanch-holding, in law, a tenure by which the tenant is bound to pay only an elusory yearly duty to his superior, as an acknowledgment to his right. – Encyc.

BLANC-MAN-GER, n. [pron. blomonge. Fr. white food.]

In cookery, a preparation of dissolved isinglass, milk, sugar, cinnamon, &c., boiled into a thick consistence, and garnished for the table with blanched almonds. – Encyc.

BLAND, a. [L. blandus; Fr. blond; G. linde, gelinde, mild, soft; Sw. lindra; G. lindern; D. linderen; Dan. lindrer; to soften or mitigate; Dan. lind, soft, mild, gentle; L. lenis, lentus; Ar. لَلَن lana, to be mild, soft, gentle, placid, smooth, lenient. See Relent.]

Mild; soft; gentle; as, bland words; bland zephyrs. – Milton. Thomson.

BLAND-A'TION, n.

Gross flattery. [Not used.]

BLAND-IL'O-QUENCE, n. [L. blandus, mild, and loquor, to speak.]

Fair, mild, flattering speech.

BLAND'ISH, v.t. [L. blandior; It. blandire; Sp. blandiar, blandir; Old Eng. blandise. Chaucer.]

To soften; to caress; to flatter by kind words or affectionate actions. – Milton.

BLAND'ISH-ER, n.

One that flatters with soft words.

BLAND'ISH-ING, n.

Blandishment.

BLAND'ISH-ING, ppr.

Soothing or flattering with fair words.

BLAND'ISH-MENT, n.

Soft words; kind speeches; caresses; expression of kindness; words or actions expressive of affection or kindness, and tending to win the heart. – Milton. Dryden.

BLAND'NESS, n.

State of being bland. – Chalmers.