verb
blacken
BLA-kuhn
verb
1
To make something black or turn black.
"Smoke blackened the ceiling above the fireplace."
"Her fingers were blackened with charcoal."
2
To damage someone's reputation; to defame.
"The rumors were meant to blacken his name."
3
To cook fish or meat by coating it in spices and searing it quickly in a hot pan.
"The chef blackened the catfish with a Cajun spice blend."
How to Use Blacken
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo turn something black, to damage a reputation, or to sear food in hot spices.
Common pairings
blacken someone's name
blackened salmon
Word Forms
blackened past tense, blackens singular
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Etymology
From Middle English blaknen, formed from black plus the verb-forming suffix -en.