blaze

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (US)

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• Rhymes: -eɪz

Etymology 1

From Middle English blase, from Old English blæse (“firebrand, torch, lamp, flame”), from Proto-Germanic *blasōn (“torch”), from Proto-Indo-European *bhel- (“to shine, be white”). Cognate with Low German blas (“burning candle, torch, fire”), Middle High German blas (“candle, torch, flame”). Compare Dutch bles (“blaze”), German Blesse (“blaze”), Swedish bläs (“blaze”).

Noun

blaze (plural blazes)

1. A fire, especially a fast-burning fire producing a lot of flames and light.
   • 1907, Robert Chambers, chapter 3, The Younger Set^[1]:

     Long after his cigar burnt bitter, he sat with eyes fixed on the blaze. When the flames at last began to flicker and subside, his lids fluttered, then drooped ; … .

2. The lighter coloured (normally white) markings on a horse's face.

   The palomino had a white blaze on its face.

3. A high-visibility orange colour with a Hex value of FF6600 and RGB of 255,102,0, typically used in warning signs and hunters' clothing.

Translations

fast-burning fire

• Bulgarian: ярък пламък (bg) (jarǎk plamǎk), буен огън (bg) (buen ogǎn)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 火焰 (cmn) (huǒyàn)

• Finnish: roihu (fi)
• French: feu (fr) m, flambée (fr) f, embrasement (fr) m
• German: Flamme (de) f
• Icelandic: eldsvoði (is) m, bál (is) n
• Italian: fiamma (it) f, fiammata (it) f, vampa (it) f

• Japanese: 炎 (ja) (ほのお, honō), 火炎 (ja) (かえん, kaen)
• Kurdish:

  Sorani: گلپه‌

• Portuguese: labareda (pt) m
• Russian: (я́ркое) пламя (ru) (plámja) n, (я́ркий) огонь (ru) (ogónʹ) m
• Spanish: llama (es), llamarada (es), fogonazo (es)
• Swedish: bläs (sv)
• Volapük: flamafil (vo)

mark resembling fire

• Finnish: liekkikuvio (fi)

Etymology 2

From Middle English blasen, from Middle English blase (“torch”). See above.

Verb

blaze (third-person singular simple present blazes, present participle blazing, simple past and past participle blazed)

1. (intransitive) To be on fire, especially producing a lot of flames and light.

   The campfire blazed merrily.

2. (intransitive) To shine like a flame.
3. (transitive) To make a thing shine like a flame.
4. (transitive) To mark or cut (a route, especially through vegetation), or figuratively, to set a precedent for the taking-on of a challenge.

   The guide blazed his way through the undergrowth.

   Darwin blazed a path for the rest of us.

5. (slang) To smoke marijuana.
   • Most commonly used in the infinitive, simple present, or simple past:

     I like to blaze.

     Let's go blaze.

     We blazed last night.

     He blazes every day.

   • Or less commonly, in the present progressive:

     He is blazing right now.

Translations

to be on fire

• Bulgarian: пламтя (bg) (plamtja)
• Finnish: roihuta (fi)
• French: brûler (fr), flamber (fr)

• Latvian: liesmot (lv)
• Russian: пылать (ru) (pylátʹ), полыхать (ru) (polyxátʹ)
• Swedish: brinna (sv)

to shine like a flame

• Bulgarian: сияя (bg) (sijaja), светя (bg) (svetja)
• Finnish: hehkua (fi), loistaa (fi)
• French: briller (fr)

• Russian: сверкать (ru) (sverkátʹ), сиять (ru) (sijátʹ)
• Swedish: skina (sv), stråla (sv)

to make shine like flame

• Finnish: hehkuttaa (fi)

to mark or cut a route

• Bulgarian: пробивам път (bg) (probivam pǎt)
• Finnish: raivata (fi)

• French: baliser (fr)

Related terms

• ablaze

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Dutch

Verb

blaze

1. singular present subjunctive of blazen

Anagrams

• bazel