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| v. blend·ed, blend·ing, blends v. tr. 1. To combine or mix (different substances) so that the constituent parts are indistinguishable from one another: blended the flour, milk, and eggs; blend gasoline with ethanol. 2. To combine (varieties or grades of the same substance) to obtain a mixture of a particular character, quality, or consistency: blend coffees. 3. To combine (different elements) into a single entity: a career that blends medicine and engineering. See Synonyms at mix. v. intr. 1. To form a uniform mixture: “The smoke blended easily into the odor of the other fumes” (Norman Mailer). 2. To be unobtrusive or harmonious by resembling the surroundings or behaving like others in a group. Often used with in: a female pheasant is brown and blends in with its nesting ground. 3. To create a harmonious effect or result: picked a tie that blended with the jacket. n. 1. a. The act of blending: the writer's unique blend of fantasy and physics. b. Something, such as an effect or a product, that is created by blending: “His face shows, as he stares at the fire, a blend of fastidiousness and intransigence” (John Fowles). 2. Linguistics A word produced by combining parts of other words, as smog from smoke and fog. [Middle English blenden, probably from Old Norse blanda, blend-; see bhel-1 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] |
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