bruise

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   to damage by abrasion or pressure, such as plant tissue

   The customer bruised the strawberries by squeezing them.

2. 2
   verb

   to break up into small pieces for food preparation

   They told me to bruise the berries with a wooden spoon and strain them.

3. 3
   verb

   to injure the underlying soft tissue or bone of

   I bruised my knee when I fell down.

4. 4
   verb

   to hurt the feelings of

   I felt bad for bruising you with my harsh comments.

5. 5
   verb

   To strike (a person), originally with something flat or heavy, but now specifically in such a way as to discolour the skin without breaking it; to contuse.

   It is as I have spoken: the testing first, next the bruising, and in the last bout the breaking and killing.

6. 6
   verb

   Of fruit or vegetables, to gain bruises through being handled roughly.

   Bananas bruise easily.

7. 7
   verb

   To become bruised.

   I bruise easily.

8. 8
   verb

   To fight with the fists; to box.

   Bruising was considered a fine, manly, old English custom.

Etymology

From Middle English bruisen, brusen, brosen, brisen, bresen, from a merger two words, both ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰrews- (“to break”): * Old English brȳsan, brīesan (“to bruise; crush”), from Proto-Germanic *brausijaną, *brūsijaną (“to break; crumble; crack”). Provided the word's sense. * Anglo-Norman bruiser, bruser (“to break, smash, shatter”), from Gaulish *brus-, from Proto-Celtic *bruseti (“to break”). Provided the word's form. Cognate with Scots brizz, German brausen (“to roar; boom; pound”), Old English brosnian (“to crumble, fall apart”), Dutch broos (“brittle”), German…