Blushing

Part of speech: verb, adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈblʌʃɪŋ/

Definitions

1. A physiological response characterized by the reddening of the skin on the face, commonly triggered by embarrassment or shyness
2. An involuntary reaction resulting in facial redness, often associated with feelings of shame, modesty, or nervousness
3. A physiological reaction that causes a reddening of the facial skin, typically elicited by feelings of embarrassment, shyness, or social anxiety occurs

Etymology: The verb "blush" once meant to shine or burn rather than to redden. Its Old English ancestor, "blysċan", meant "to be red; shine," and it is linked to a family of words for flame and torches. Old Norse "blys" meant "torch," and Old English "blysian" meant "to burn; blaze." The idea of a bright, glowing light and the idea of a flushed face seem to have grown together over the centuries, though the exact path between them is not recorded. The word has Germanic roots, with cognates across the North Sea and Scandinavia. Middle Low German had "blöschen," Dutch has "blozen," and Danish has "blusse," all meaning "to blush." In Middle English the form became "blusshen" and related spellings, and the verb's sense of a rosy complexion was attested by the late 15th century. Where the word's sense of reddening first took hold is not clearly documented, so the link from flame to flushed skin is best understood as an inference rather than a recorded step.

Synonyms: flushing