Emily Dickinson Lexicon

BLUFF'-BOW-ED, a. [bluff and bow.]

Having broad and flat bows. – Mar. Dict.

BLUFF'-HEAD-ED, a. [bluff and head.]

Having an upright stem. – Mar. Dict.

BLUFF'NESS, n.

A swelling or bloatedness; surliness. – World.

BLUFF'Y, a.

Having bluffs, or bold projecting points of land.

BLU'ISH, a.

Blue in a small degree. – Pope.

BLU'ISH-LY, adv.

In a bluish manner.

BLU'ISH-NESS, n.

A small degree of blue color. – Boyle.

BLUN'DER, n.

A mistake through precipitance, or without due exercise of judgment; a gross mistake.

BLUN'DER, v.i. [This word seems to be allied to the Gr. πλαναω, to err; and to flounder. The sense of the latter is to move with sudden jerks, and irregular motions. In Dan. blunder is to wink, twinkle or dissemble; allied to Fr. loin.]

1. To mistake grossly; to err widely or stupidly. – Johnson.
2. To move without direction, or steady guidance; to plunge at an object; to move, speak or write with sudden and blind precipitance; as, to blunder upon a reason; to blunder round a meaning. – Pope.
3. To stumble, as a horse; a common use of word.

BLUN'DER-BUSS, n. [blunder and D. bus, a tube; Dan. bösse; Sw. bösse, a gun.]

A short gun or fire-arm, with a large bore, capable of holding a number of balls, and intended to do execution without exact aim.

BLUN'DER-ED, pp.

Done or spoken with gross mistake.

BLUN'DER-ER, n.

One who is apt to blunder, or to make gross mistakes; a careless person.

BLUN'DER-HEAD, n. [blunder and head.]

A stupid fellow; one who blunders. – L'Estrange.

BLUN'DER-ING, ppr.

Moving or acting with blind precipitance; mistaking grossly; stumbling.

BLUN'DER-ING-LY, adv.

In a blundering manner. – Lewis.

BLUNT, a. [from the root of Gr. αμβλυνω, to dull.]

1. Having a thick edge or point, as an instrument; dull; not sharp.
2. Dull in understanding; slow of discernment. – Shak.
3. Abrupt in address; plain; unceremonious; wanting the forms of civility; rough in manners or speech. – Bacon.
4. Hard to penetrate. [Unusual.] – Pope.

BLUNT, v.t.

1. To dull the edge or point, by making it thicker.
2. To repress or weaken any appetite, desire, or power of the mind; to impair the force of any passion which affects the mind, or of any evil or good which affects the body; as, to blunt the edge of love, of pain, or of suffering. Your ceaseless endeavors will be exerted to blunt the stings of pain. – Dwight.

BLUNT'ED, pp.

Made dull; weakened; impaired; repressed.

BLUNT'ING, n.

Restraint. – Taylor.

BLUNT'ING, ppr.

Making dull; repressing; impairing.

BLUNT'LY, adv.

In a blunt manner; coarsely; plainly; abruptly; without delicacy, or the usual forms of civility.

BLUNT'NESS, n.

1. Want of edge or point; dullness; obtuseness; want of sharpness.
2. Coarseness of address; roughness of manners; rude sincerity or plainness.

BLUNT'WIT-TED, a. [blunt and wit.]

Dull; stupid. – Shak.

BLUR, n. [I have not found this word in any other language, but probably it is allied to the W. llur, black and blue, livid, L. luridus.]

A dark spot; a stain; a blot, whether upon paper or other substance, or upon reputation. – South.

BLUR, v.t.

1. To obscure by a dark spot, or by any foul matter, without quite effacing.
2. To sully; to stain; to blemish; as, to blur reputation. – Butler.