Emblazes

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To decorate or mark something with a prominent symbol or design ; to display something vividly or prominently for attention
2. To adorn an object or surface with a clear emblem or pattern ; to exhibit something in a striking or noticeable way to attract notice
3. To embellish a place or thing by placing a symbolic design on it ; to make something stand out by showing it in a bright or conspicuous manner

Etymology: "Emblazes" is the third-person singular present form of "emblaze," so it shares the verb's history: a prefix attached to a much older word. The prefix "em-" (also spelled "en-" in many words) is the same one found in "enclose" and "embed," and it works here as a way of turning a noun into a verb meaning "to put into" or "to surround with" something. Attached to "blaze," the sense became "to decorate with" bright, showy marks or symbols, the idea being that the surface is made to flare with colour. The base word "blaze" carries the original image. It is a plain English word for a bright, flaming fire, and in older use it also meant a white mark on an animal's face or a notch cut into a tree to show a trail. The verb "emblaze" built on the sense of brilliant display, so the decorating sense grew naturally from the notion of a surface lit up with colour or emblems.

Synonyms: ignites, burns, lights, flames, flares

Antonyms: extinguishes, quenches, douses, snuffs, puts out