blench Meaning, Definition & Usage

Blench intransitive verb

Etymology

OE. blenchen to blench, elude, deceive, AS. blencan to deceive; akin to Icel. blekkja to impose upon. Prop. a causative of blink to make to wink, to deceive. See Blink, and cf. 3d Blanch.

Wordforms

imperfect & past participle Blenched present participle & verbal noun Blenching

Definitions

1. To shrink; to start back; to draw back, from lack of courage or resolution; to flinch; to quail.

   Blench not at thy chosen lot. Bryant.

   This painful, heroic task he undertook, and never blenched from its fulfillment. Jeffrey.

2. To fly off; to turn aside. Obs.

   Though sometimes you do blench from this to that. Shak.

Blench transitive verb

Definitions

1. To baffle; to disconcert; to turn away; -- also, to obstruct; to hinder. Obs.

   Ye should have somewhat blenched him therewith, yet he might and would of likelihood have gone further. Sir T. More.

2. To draw back from; to deny from fear. Obs.

   He now blenched what before he affirmed. Evelyn.

Blench noun

Definitions

1. A looking aside or askance. Obs.

   These blenches gave my heart another youth. Shak.

Blench intransitive verb & transitive verb

Etymology

See 1st Blanch.

Definitions

1. To grow or make pale. Barbour.