Definition
To make something black or dark, or to damage someone's reputation by spreading negative information.
Etymology
From Old English 'blæc' meaning 'black,' plus the verbal suffix '-en.' The figurative meaning of damaging reputation developed from the visual metaphor of making something dark or stained.
Kelly Says
The verb 'blacken' carries a visual metaphor that runs deep in language—making something 'black' became the way to describe making it morally 'dark.' This shows how colors shaped how humans describe morality across many languages, not just English.
Translations
AMአማርኛ
ነጭ Smokey (nech' smokey)
nech' smokey
ARالعربية
تصبح أسود
tasbi'h aswad
BNবাংলা
কালো করা (kalo kara)
kalo kara
CACatalà
negrejar
ne-gre-jar
CSČeština
zatemnit
za-tem-nit
DEDeutsch
verdunkeln
ver-dunk-eln
ELΕλληνικά
μαυρίσει (mavri-sei)
mavri-sei
ESEspañol
oscurecer
os-kur-seh-r
FAفارسی
سیاه شدن (siyah shodan)
siyah sho-dan
FISuomi
mustuttaa
mustu-taa
FRFrançais
noircir
nwa-sir
GUGU
કાર્બન (karbon)
karbon
HEעברית
להפוך לчחור
le-ha-pokh le-chor
HIहिन्दी
काला करना (kala karna)
kala karna
IDBahasa Indonesia
gelap
gelap
ITItaliano
oscurare
os-ku-ra-re
JA日本語
黒くする (くろくする)
kuroku suru
KKKK
қара дым (qara dim)
qara dim
KMKM
ស្អុយខ្មៅ (s'au khmaou)
s'au khmaou
KO한국어
검게 하다 (검게 하다)
geomege hada
MRMR
कळी धुआ (kaali dhua)
kaali dhua
MSBahasa Melayu
gelap
gelap
MYမြန်မာ
ရှားပြာ (shyar pyar)
shyar pyar
NLNederlands
verdonkeren
ver-don-ke-ren
PAPA
ਕਾਲਾ ਧੂੰ (kala dhūṁ)
kala dhūṁ
PLPolski
ciemnieć
chem-ni-ec
PTPortuguês
escurocer
es-ku-ro-ser
RORomână
înnegru
in-ne-gru
RUРусский
потемнеть
po-tem-net'
UKУкраїнська
потемніти
po-tem-niti
URاردو
سیاہ کرنا (siyah karna)
siyah karna
VITiếng Việt
đen đi
den di
ZH中文
变黑 (biàn hēi)
bee-an hei
ZUZU
umvuthu omnyama
umvuthu omnyama