Blee

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The colour, hue, or general appearance of something ; to make a bleating or crying sound like a sheep or goat
2. A particular colour or tint visible on a surface ; to utter a characteristic bleat or plaintive cry
3. The shade or complexion of something ; to produce the bleating vocalization of certain animals

Etymology: Here the most surprising fact is that "blee" is an old English word for colour that has been revived in a modern slang sense. Its ancestor, Old English "blēo" or "bleoh", meant "colour, hue; complexion, form", and the same word lies behind Scots "ble" and "blie", Old Frisian "blī", and Middle Dutch "blie" and "blye", all meaning "colour". In English it was spelled "blee" or "ble" in the Middle English period, and it survived in older dialect and literary use. The word also has a doublet, "bly", which comes from the same root but took a different path into English, so the two forms are relatives that split apart over time. Its more recent life is a different story. The modern slang sense is associated with the British pop magazine Smash Hits, where it may have originated, so this newer use is tied to a specific publication rather than to ordinary speech.

Synonyms: color, hue, complexion