Blee

/bliː/ noun

Definition

An archaic or poetic word meaning color, complexion, or the appearance or look of something.

Etymology

From Old English blǽo or blēo, meaning color or complexion. Related to German blei (lead, the color). The word gradually fell out of use after the Middle English period as 'color' and 'complexion' became standard.

Kelly Says

Blee is the kind of beautiful archaic word that Romantic and Victorian poets loved to use for effect—you'll find it in old poetry to mean the rosy color of someone's cheeks or the glow of something beautiful. It's dead in everyday speech but alive in literature.

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