blush

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   to turn red in the face, as if in embarrassment or shame

   They blushed when a younger student whistled as they walked by.

2. 2
   verb

   to become rosy or reddish

   Their cheeks blushed in the cold winter air.

3. 3
   noun

   An act of blushing; a pink or red glow on the face caused by embarrassment, shame, shyness, love, etc.

   Why, Warwick, canst thou speak against thy liege, Whom thou obeyed’st thirty and six years, And not bewray thy treason with a blush?

4. 4
   noun

   A glow; a flush of colour, especially pink or red.

   And now the rosy blush of morn began to mantle in the east, and soon the rising sun, emerging from amidst golden and purple clouds, shed his blithesome rays on the tin weathercocks of Communipaw.

5. 5
   noun

   A feeling or appearance of optimism.

   1974, “April's Fading Carnation,” Time, 9 September, 1974,https://web.archive.org/web/20130813201436/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,904100,00.html The independence ceremony could not keep the blush of April's revolution, when carnations had seemed to sprout from every buttonhole, from fading.

6. 6
   noun

   A cosmetic, frequently a powder, used to redden the cheeks and lips.

   The same rules that apply to face powder apply to powder blush, since neither contains water. Cream blush, however, should be replaced after a year. To prolong the life of any blush, clean your blush brush regularly and store the product in a dry place.

7. 7
   noun

   A color between pink and cream.

   Makeup colors like ivory and blush dominate spring collections and have even infiltrated Burberry's shoes.

8. 8
   noun

   Ellipsis of blush wine.

   2016, Mishkah Abrahams, “Blush or Rosé? The Cape's Best Summer Drink,” capetownetc.com, 29 September, 2016, If you’re looking to indulge in some good food while you sip your blush, pair the Chardonnay-Pinot Noir with fresh, summer foods such as sushi, refreshing salads, delicious seafood and fruity summertime desserts.

Etymology

From Middle English blusshen, bluschen, blusschen, blisshen, from Old English blysċan (“to be red; shine”), perhaps from Proto-Germanic *blaskijaną, from *blasǭ (“burning candle; torch”) or alternatively from Proto-Germanic *bluskijaną, from *blusjǭ (“torch”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel-. Cognate with Middle Low German blöschen (“to blush”). Compare also Old English blysian (“to burn; blaze”), Dutch blozen (“to blush”), Danish blusse (“to blush”), Old Norse blys (“torch”), Danish blus (“blaze”).