Skip to the word

Added 7 October 2026

bruise

/bɹuːz/ noun

In Latin: contusio, līvor, sūgillātiō Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about bruise at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

An injury that doesn't break the skin but results in some discoloration.

verb

Injure the underlying soft tissue or bone of.
I bruised my knee
Hurt the feelings of.
She hurt me when she did not include me among her guests
Break up into small pieces for food preparation.
bruise the berries with a wooden spoon and strain them

Origin

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.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Back to today's word