To smudge, dirty, or stain something with marks that are rubbed or pressed on.
The prefix 'be-' combined with 'smudge,' which has uncertain origins but likely comes from Germanic languages. 'Smudge' became common in English by the 1600s to describe marks made by rubbing.
Artists and writers love this word because it perfectly describes the mess that happens when you accidentally brush your hand across wet paint or ink—that moment when something clean becomes irreversibly marked.
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