blond
pronunciation
How to pronounce blond in British English:
UK [blɒnd]
How to pronounce blond in American English:
US [blɑnd]
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- Noun:
- a person with fair skin and hair
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- Adjective:
- being or having light colored skin and hair and usually blue or gray eyes
Word Origin
- blond (adj.)
- late 15c., from Old French blont "fair, blond" (12c.), from Medieval Latin blundus "yellow," perhaps from Frankish *blund. If it is a Germanic word, it is possibly related to Old English blonden-feax "gray-haired," from blondan, blandan "to mix" (see blend (v.)). According to Littré, the original sense of the French word was "a colour midway between golden and light chestnut," which might account for the notion of "mixed." Old English beblonden meant "dyed," so it is also possible that the root meaning of blonde, if it is Germanic, may be "dyed," as ancient Teutonic warriors were noted for dying their hair. Du Cange, however, writes that blundus was a vulgar pronunciation of Latin flavus "yellow." Another guess (discounted by German etymologists), is that it represents a Vulgar Latin *albundus, from alba "white." The word was reintroduced into English 17c. from French, and was until recently still felt as French, hence blonde (with French feminine ending) for females. Italian biondo, Spanish blondo, Old Provençal blon all are of Germanic origin. Fair hair was much esteemed by both the Greeks and Romans, and so they not only dyed and gold-dusted theirs ..., but also went so far as to gild the hair of their statues, as notably those of Venus de Medici and Apollo. In the time of Ovid (A.U.C. 711) much fair hair was imported from Germany, by the Romans, as it was considered quite the fashionable color. Those Roman ladies who did not choose to wear wigs of this hue, were accustomed to powder theirs freely with gold dust, so as to give it the fashionable yellow tint. [C. Henry Leonard, "The Hair," 1879]
- blond (n.)
- c. 1755 of a type of lace, 1822 of persons; from blond (adj.).
Antonym
Example
- 1. Standing by the bed was a tall , blond angel .
- 2. Did you see a blond woman sitting here ?
- 3. Her long blond hair , tied back as usual , has turned silvery grey .
- 4. I can 't forger boys with blond hair .
- 5. Marilyn monroe was often times casted in movie roles as the hot and sexy blond . She became internationally known for her blond hair fashion soft voice and rowdy behavior .