Blow

Part of speech: verb, noun

Pronunciation: /bləʊ/

Definitions

1. A forceful movement of air, or to push air from the mouth, or a hard hit with a fist or object
2. A sudden release of air or a gust moving in a direction, a sharp impact delivered by the hand or a tool, and the act of forcing an object to move or break due to a strong force
3. To expel air forcibly from the mouth or to strike something with force ; a sudden rush or movement of wind ; an act causing damage or shock by a heavy impact

Etymology: The verb "blow" (to move air, to breathe out) and the noun "blow" (a hard strike) are not the same word at root. The verb descends from Old English "blāwan," meaning to blow, breathe, inflate or sound, and it is related to German "blähen" (to swell) and, more distantly, to Latin "flō" (to blow). The shared idea is swelling or puffing up, which is also why the same family gives us "bloom" and "flourish" in other branches. Two other words have merged into the modern spelling. "Blue" comes from Old English "blāw," from a Germanic root meaning dark or grey, and it is a doublet of "blue" itself, with the spelling "blo" and "bloo" appearing in Middle English. A third "blow," meaning a strike, comes from a northern Middle English form "blowe," related to Old Norse "blegði" (wedge) and to "block," and it is the source of the sense of a hard knock.

Synonyms: strike, hit, impact, punch, whack

Antonyms: caress, gentleness, shelter