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bruise

Primary Information
Secondary Information

Definition

Bruise is a purple or black mark on your skin that happens when you bump or hit yourself. It happens when tiny blood vessels under your skin break.

Bruises are usually harmless and go away on their own in a few days.

How can the word be used?

I fell and bruised my knee.

bruise

Different forms of the word

Noun:

bruise (an injury to the skin that causes discoloured swelling).

Adjective:

bruised (having a bruise).

Verb:

to bruise (to cause a bruise).

Etymology

The word "bruise" comes from the Old English word bræws, which means "black and blue mark on the skin." The Old English word bræws is thought to be related to the Proto-Germanic word brūzǭn, which also means "black and blue mark on the skin.".

Question

Why might something bruise?