imbrue

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   literary: to stain or soak something deeply, especially with blood

   The violent account seemed to imbrue every page with blood.

2. 2
   verb

   literary: to permeate or impregnate something with a quality or substance

   Years of hardship imbrued his stories with bitterness.

From Middle English embrewen and Old French embruer or embreuver, 'to moisten or soak,' probably altered from a verb meaning 'give to drink.' That verb ultimately goes back to Latin bibere, 'to drink.' The frequent literary association with blood developed from the broader sense 'stain or saturate.'

Topics

External links

• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary
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