v. [ME. blakne(n, blackone(n f. BLACK a. + -EN.]
1. intr. To become or grow black. lit. and fig.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 17430. To blacken þan bigan þair brous.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, XXII. 9134. Blaknet with bleryng all hir ble qwite. Ibid., XXVI. 10706. All blackonet his blode, & his ble chaunget.
1758. Johnson, Idler, No. 17, ¶ 2. I … believe that rain will fall when the air blackens.
1871. Morley, Crit. Misc., Ser. I. (1878), 193. It may blacken into cynicism.
2. trans. To make black or dark. lit. and fig.
1552. Huloet, To make blacke, or blacken, denigro.
a. 1649. Drumm. of Hawth., Jas. V., Wks. (1711), 85. Calumnies, tho’ they do not burn, yet blacken.
1660. Trial Regic., 45. To draw up that Impeachment so, as to Blacken Him.
1712. Steele, Spect., No. 518, ¶ 2. You ought to have blackened the edges of a paper which brought us so ill news.
1863. Kingsley, Water Bab., vi. The Birds … blackening all the air.
Hence Blackened ppl. a., Blackening vbl. sb. and ppl. a.
c. 1400. Apol. Loll., 55. Corrumping cold and blakning.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, III. i. 122. Crownit … with the bleknyt cipres deidlie bewis.
1660. Trial Regic., 55. The Blackning of the King.
1725. Pope, Odyss., VII. 161. Some dry the black’ning clusters in the sun.
1793. Holcroft, trans. Lavater’s Physiog., xxix. 144. Smellfungus views all objects through a blackened glass.
1818. Byron, Ch. Har., IV. xxiv. The blight and blackening which it leaves behind.
1842. Miall, Nonconf., II. 249. More than they fear a blackened reputation.
