blackavised

B3L1A1C3K5A1V4I1S1E1D2
UK/ˈblakəvʌɪzd/

adjective

Dark-complexioned; swarthy

OriginScots blackaviced ← French vis →
Scrabble 23
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Meanings

adjectiveblackavised (comparative more blackavised, superlative most blackavised)

comparative more blackavised · superlative most blackavised · alternative blackaviced · alternative black-a-vised · alternative blackavized

  1. Dark-complexioned; swarthy

    I would advise her black a-viced suitor to look out.

    1847, Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre
    1 more example

    They are black-avised as warlocks and wear their black cowls with formality and disdain.

    1982, Lawrence Durrell, Constance (Avignon Quintet), Penguin, published 2004, page 652

Origin

  1. Frenchvis“face”
  2. Scotsblackaviced
  3. Englishblackavised

From Scots blackaviced, blackavised, from black + euphonic -a- (perhaps after blackamoor) + French vis (“face”) + -ed.

More words from Scots, French

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

blackavised. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/blackavised

MLA

“blackavised.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/blackavised. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “blackavised,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/blackavised.

Source: blackavised on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.