Smudging

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The technique of applying a blurred mark or stain on a surface involves both creating an artistic haze and can include the ritualistic burning of herbs for cleansing purposes
2. This process encompasses the deliberate act of smearing a mark while also referring to spiritual purification through the use of smoke
3. The act of spreading or blurring a substance over a surface to create a softened effect ; a ceremonial practice involving burning herbs to clear negative energy

Etymology: "Smudging" is the present participle of "smudge", and the verb itself is a word of uncertain origin that appears in Middle English as "smogen", recorded in the form "smogynge" meaning "soiling" or "smudging." Its exact ancestry is unclear, but it sits in a family of related words for dirt. Middle English had "smod" for filth or obscene behaviour, and "besmudded" or "bismuddet" for something filthy. The closest relatives come from across the North Sea. Middle Dutch had "smoddich," meaning filthy or dirty, and German has "schmutzig," with the same sense. These look like cousins that share a sense of grime, though whether they descend from a common root or influenced one another is not settled. "Smudge" is also a doublet of "smutch," meaning that the two words descend from the same ancestor and reached English by different routes, giving us two near-synonyms for the same act of dirtying a surface.

Synonyms: blurring, staining