Meanings
verbbruise (third-person singular simple present bruises, present participle bruising, simple past and past participle bruised)
present singular third person bruises · participle present bruising · participle past bruised · past bruised · alternative obsolete bruize · alternative obsolete brise
- transitiveTo strike (a person), originally with something flat or heavy, but now specifically in such a way as to discolour the skin without breaking it; to contuse.
It is as I have spoken: the testing first, next the bruising, and in the last bout the breaking and killing.
1922, E[ric] R[ücker] Eddison, The Worm Ouroboros: A Romance, London: Jonathan Cape […], →OCLC, pages 25–26 - transitiveTo damage the skin of (fruit or vegetables), in an analogous way.
- intransitiveOf fruit or vegetables, to gain bruises through being handled roughly.
Bananas bruise easily.
- intransitiveTo become bruised.
I bruise easily.
- figurativelytransitiveTo harm or injure somebody's feelings or self-esteem.
Her thoughtless remarks bruised my ego.
1 more example
I was bruised by such wanton criticism.
- transitiveTo impair (gin) by shaking rather than stirring.
Synonyms & antonyms
medical
Similar
Narrower
ecchymosis,
nounan injury that doesn't break the skin but results in some discoloration
Similar
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Celtic*bruseti“to break”
- Gaulish*brus-
- Anglo-Normanbruiser
- Proto-Germanic*brausijaną
- Old Englishbrȳsan
- Proto-Indo-European*bʰrews-“to break”
- Middle Englishbruisen
- Englishbruise
From Middle English bruisen, brusen, brosen, brisen, bresen, from a merger two words, both ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰrews- (“to break”): * Old English brȳsan, brīesan (“to bruise; crush”), from Proto-Germanic *brausijaną, *brūsijaną (“to break; crumble; crack”). Provided the word's sense. * Anglo-Norman bruiser, bruser (“to break, smash, shatter”), from Gaulish *brus-, from Proto-Celtic *bruseti (“to break”). Provided the word's form. Cognate with Scots brizz, German brausen (“to roar; boom; pound”), Old English brosnian (“to crumble, fall apart”), Dutch broos (“brittle”), German Brosame (“crumb”), dialectal Norwegian brøysk (“breakable”), Latin frustum (“bit, scrap”), Old Church Slavonic бръснути (brŭsnuti, “to rake”), Albanian breshër (“hail”).
More words from Middle English, Proto-Indo-European, Old English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans kneusplek, bloukol
- kneusplekmedical: mark on the skin
- bloukolmedical: mark on the skin
Ancient Greek μώλωψ
- μώλωψ (mṓlōps)medical: mark on the skin
Arabic كَدَمَ, كَدْمَة
- كَدَمَ (kadama)strike (a person), giving them a bruise
- كَدْمَة (kadma)medical: mark on the skin
- رَضّ (raḍḍ)medical: mark on the skin
- رَضَّة (raḍḍa)medical: mark on the skin
Basque ubeldur, ubelune
- ubeldurmedical: mark on the skin
- ubelunemedical: mark on the skin
Bulgarian натъртвам, натъртвам
- натъртвам (natărtvam)strike (a person), giving them a bruise
- натъртвам (natărtvam)cause fruit or vegetables to bruise
- натъртвам се (natărtvam se)of fruit or vegetables, to gain bruises
- натъртвам се (natărtvam se)to get bruised
- синка (sinka)medical: mark on the skin
- натъртено място (natărteno mjasto)medical: mark on the skin
Catalan masegar, copejar
- masegarstrike (a person), giving them a bruise
- copejarstrike (a person), giving them a bruise
- maganyarstrike (a person), giving them a bruise
- contusionarstrike (a person), giving them a bruise
- macarcause fruit or vegetables to bruise
- maganyarcause fruit or vegetables to bruise
- macar-seof fruit or vegetables, to gain bruises
- masegar-seto get bruised
- contusionar-seto get bruised
- blaumedical: mark on the skin
- blaüramedical: mark on the skin
- macaduramark on fruit or vegetable
- macadísmark on fruit or vegetable
Chinese Mandarin 瘀青
- 瘀青 (yūqīng)medical: mark on the skin
Czech otlouct se, podlitina
- otlouct seof fruit or vegetables, to gain bruises
- podlitinamedical: mark on the skin
- modřinamedical: mark on the skin
Danish blåt mærke, blodudtrædning
- blåt mærkemedical: mark on the skin
- blodudtrædningmedical: mark on the skin
Dutch slaan, blauwe plek
- slaanstrike (a person), giving them a bruise
- blauwe plekmedical: mark on the skin
- rotte plekmark on fruit or vegetable
- beurze plekmark on fruit or vegetable
Esperanto kontuzi, kontuzo
- kontuzistrike (a person), giving them a bruise
- kontuzomedical: mark on the skin
Finnish hakata mustelmille, kolhia mustelmille
- hakata mustelmillestrike (a person), giving them a bruise
- kolhia mustelmillecause fruit or vegetables to bruise
- saada mustelmiaof fruit or vegetables, to gain bruises
- kolhiintuaof fruit or vegetables, to gain bruises
- saada mustelmiato get bruised
- mustelmamedical: mark on the skin
- mustelmamark on fruit or vegetable
French contusionner, meurtrir
- contusionnerstrike (a person), giving them a bruise
- meurtrirstrike (a person), giving them a bruise
- talercause fruit or vegetables to bruise
- cotircause fruit or vegetables to bruise
- se talerof fruit or vegetables, to gain bruises
- se cotirof fruit or vegetables, to gain bruises
- s'abîmerof fruit or vegetables, to gain bruises
- se faire un bleuto get bruised
- bleumedical: mark on the skin
- contusionmedical: mark on the skin
- ecchymosemedical: mark on the skin
- meurtrissuremedical: mark on the skin
- taluremark on fruit or vegetable
- cotissuremark on fruit or vegetable
- meurtrissuremark on fruit or vegetable
German prellen, Prellung
- prellenstrike (a person), giving them a bruise
- Prellungmedical: mark on the skin
- Blutergussmedical: mark on the skin
- blauer Fleckmedical: mark on the skin
- Druckstellemark on fruit or vegetable
Greek μωλωπίζομαι, μώλωπας
- μωλωπίζομαι (molopízomai)to get bruised
- μώλωπας (mólopas)medical: mark on the skin
Hebrew חַבּוּרָה
- חַבּוּרָה (khabura)medical: mark on the skin
Hungarian horzsolás, zúzódás
- horzsolásmedical: mark on the skin
- zúzódásmedical: mark on the skin
- ütődésmark on fruit or vegetable
Indonesian bonyok
- bonyokmedical: mark on the skin
Irish ballbhrúigh, brúigh
- ballbhrúighstrike (a person), giving them a bruise
- brúighcause fruit or vegetables to bruise
- meilcause fruit or vegetables to bruise
- éirigh brúiteof fruit or vegetables, to gain bruises
- éirigh brúiteto get bruised
- ball gormmedical: mark on the skin
- brúmark on fruit or vegetable
Italian creare un livido, livido
- creare un lividostrike (a person), giving them a bruise
- lividomedical: mark on the skin
- ammaccaturamark on fruit or vegetable
Japanese あざ
- あざ (aza)medical: mark on the skin
Korean 멍, 멍
- 멍 (meong)medical: mark on the skin
- 멍 (meong)mark on fruit or vegetable
Latin contusio, līvor
- contusiomedical: mark on the skin
- līvormedical: mark on the skin
- sūgillātiōmedical: mark on the skin
Latvian zilums
- zilumsmedical: mark on the skin
Malay lebam
- lebammedical: mark on the skin
Māori kōmeke, kōmeke
- kōmekestrike (a person), giving them a bruise
- kōmekecause fruit or vegetables to bruise
- marūto get bruised
- uruhuamedical: mark on the skin
- marūmedical: mark on the skin
Polish siniaczyć, posiniaczyć
- siniaczyćstrike (a person), giving them a bruise
- posiniaczyćstrike (a person), giving them a bruise
- siniakmedical: mark on the skin
- siniecmedical: mark on the skin
- stłuczeniemedical: mark on the skin
- obiciemark on fruit or vegetable
Portuguese magoar, ferir
- magoarstrike (a person), giving them a bruise
- ferirstrike (a person), giving them a bruise
- hematomamedical: mark on the skin
- roxomedical: mark on the skin
Romanian zgâria, învineți
- zgâriastrike (a person), giving them a bruise
- învinețistrike (a person), giving them a bruise
- se pătaof fruit or vegetables, to gain bruises
- juliturămedical: mark on the skin
- vânătaiemedical: mark on the skin
- patămark on fruit or vegetable
Russian ушиба́ть, ушиби́ть
- ушиба́ть (ušibátʹ)strike (a person), giving them a bruise
- ушиби́ть (ušibítʹ)strike (a person), giving them a bruise
- мять (mjatʹ)cause fruit or vegetables to bruise
- помя́ть (pomjátʹ)cause fruit or vegetables to bruise
- мя́ться (mjátʹsja)of fruit or vegetables, to gain bruises
- помя́ться (pomjátʹsja)of fruit or vegetables, to gain bruises
- ушиба́ться (ušibátʹsja)to get bruised
- ушиби́ться (ušibítʹsja)to get bruised
- ссадина (ssadina)medical: mark on the skin
- синя́к (sinják)medical: mark on the skin
- уши́б (ušíb)medical: mark on the skin
- кровоподтёк (krovopodtjók)medical: mark on the skin
- гемато́ма (gematóma)medical: mark on the skin
- поби́тость (pobítostʹ)mark on fruit or vegetable
- помя́тость (pomjátostʹ)mark on fruit or vegetable
- подби́тость (podbítostʹ)mark on fruit or vegetable
Scottish Gaelic pronnadh, pronnadh
- pronnadhmedical: mark on the skin
- pronnadhmark on fruit or vegetable
Slovak modrina, podliatina
- modrinamedical: mark on the skin
- podliatinamedical: mark on the skin
- šinkamedical: mark on the skin
Spanish magullar, contusionar
- magullarstrike (a person), giving them a bruise
- contusionarstrike (a person), giving them a bruise
- moretearstrike (a person), giving them a bruise
- macar (disused)strike (a person), giving them a bruise
- mallugarstrike (a person), giving them a bruise
- mazarcause fruit or vegetables to bruise
- magullarcause fruit or vegetables to bruise
- machacarcause fruit or vegetables to bruise
- macarseof fruit or vegetables, to gain bruises
- estropearseof fruit or vegetables, to gain bruises
- magullarseof fruit or vegetables, to gain bruises
- magullarseto get bruised
- moratónmedical: mark on the skin
- moretónmedical: mark on the skin
- cardenalmedical: mark on the skin
- magulladuramedical: mark on the skin
- hematomamedical: mark on the skin
- moraduramedical: mark on the skin
- magulladamedical: mark on the skin
- magullónmedical: mark on the skin
- magullamientomedical: mark on the skin
- macamark on fruit or vegetable
- magullamientomark on fruit or vegetable
Swahili chubuko
- chubukomedical: mark on the skin
Swedish blåmärke, fläck
- blåmärkemedical: mark on the skin
- fläckmark on fruit or vegetable
Tagalog pasâ
- pasâmedical: mark on the skin
Thai รอยช้ำ, รอยฟกช้ำ
- รอยช้ำmedical: mark on the skin
- รอยฟกช้ำmedical: mark on the skin
- รอยช้ำmark on fruit or vegetable
Turkish morluk, morartı
- morlukmedical: mark on the skin
- morartımedical: mark on the skin
- çürükmedical: mark on the skin
Ukrainian синя́к, сине́ць
- синя́к (synják)medical: mark on the skin
- сине́ць (synécʹ)medical: mark on the skin
Welsh briw, clais
- briwmedical: mark on the skin
- claismedical: mark on the skin
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with bruise
newsusechoosewhoseabusecruiselosebluesdosCruzHughesrefuseexcusereuseduesmusefusecrewsmisuseToulousegusdiffuseconfusebooze
All rhymes →Sounds the same
Cite this entry
APA
bruise. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bruise
MLA
“bruise.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bruise. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bruise,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bruise.
Source: bruise on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.