blacken

English

Etymology

From Middle English blaknen, blakkenen, equivalent to black +‎ -en (verbal suffix).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈblækən/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ækən

Verb

blacken (third-person singular simple present blackens, present participle blackening, simple past and past participle blackened)

1. (transitive, causative) To cause to be or become black.
2. (intransitive, stative) To become black.

   The sky blackened as the storm clouds rolled in.

3. (transitive, causative) To make dirty.
4. To defame or sully.

   Malice delights to blacken the characters of prominent men. — Napoleon Bonaparte (Can we date this quote?)

5. (transitive) To cook (meat or fish) by coating with pepper, etc., and quickly searing in a hot pan.

Synonyms

• (make black): black, denigrate
• (make dirty): dirty, soil
• (defame): defame, denigrate, sully, taint, tarnish

Translations

make black

• Akkadian: 𒈪 (/⁠salamu⁠/)
• Arabic: سَوَّدَ (sawwada)
• Azerbaijani: qaralamaq
• Bulgarian: почерням (bg) (počernjam)
• Catalan: ennegrir (ca)
• Esperanto: nigrigi
• Finnish: mustata (fi)
• French: noircir (fr)
• Galician: ennegrecer (gl)
• German: schwärzen (de)
• Greek: αμαυρώνω (el) (amavróno)
• Hebrew: השחיר (hishkhír)
• Ido: nigrigar (io)
• Interlingue:
• Irish: dubhaigh
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: annerire (it)
• Persian: سیاه کردن (siyāh kardan)
• Polish: czernić (pl) impf, zaczernić pf
• Portuguese: enegrecer (pt)
• Romanian: înnegri (ro)
• Russian: черни́ть (ru) impf (černítʹ), зачерни́ть (ru) pf (začernítʹ)
• Slovak: začierniť
• Spanish: ennegrecer (es)
• Swedish: svärta (sv)
• Telugu: నలుపుచేయు (nalupucēyu)

make dirty

• Azerbaijani: qaralamaq, çirkləndirmək (az), batırmaq (az)
• Bulgarian: цапам (bg) (capam)
• Finnish: liata (fi)
• French: souiller (fr)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: sporcare (it)
• Portuguese: denegrir (pt)
• Russian: па́чкать (ru) impf (páčkatʹ), испа́чкать (ru) pf (ispáčkatʹ), запа́чкать (ru) pf (zapáčkatʹ); мара́ть (ru) impf (marátʹ), измара́ть (ru) pf (izmarátʹ), замара́ть (ru) pf (zamarátʹ); загрязня́ть (ru) impf (zagrjaznjátʹ), загрязни́ть (ru) pf (zagrjaznítʹ)
• Swedish: svärta (sv)

defame, sully

• Azerbaijani: qaralamaq
• Bulgarian: очерням (bg) (očernjam)
• Dutch: zwartmaken (nl)
• Finnish: mustamaalata (fi)
• French: noircir (fr), salir (fr)
• Greek: αμαυρώνω (el) (amavróno)
• Polish: oczerniać (pl) impf, oczernić pf
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Portuguese: conspurcar (pt), denegrir (pt)
• Russian: черни́ть (ru) impf (černítʹ), очерня́ть (ru) impf (očernjátʹ), очерни́ть (ru) pf (očernítʹ)
• Slovak: očierniť
• Spanish: tiznar (es)
• Swedish: svärta ner

cook by coating with pepper and quickly searing

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

become black

• Arabic: اِسْوَدَّ (iswadda)
• Azerbaijani: qaralmaq
• Bulgarian: почернявам (počernjavam)
• Esperanto: nigriĝi
• Finnish: musteta, mustaantua
• French: noircir (fr)
• Galician: denegrir
• Ido: nigreskar (io)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Polish: czernieć impf, sczernieć pf, poczernieć pf
• Portuguese: enegrecer (pt)
• Russian: черне́ть (ru) impf (černétʹ), почерне́ть (ru) pf (počernétʹ)
• Slovak: sčernieť, stmavnúť, zotmieť
• Swedish: svartna (sv)
• Telugu: నల్లబడు (nallabaḍu)