blight

Mane (English)

Noun

1. A diseased condition suffered by a plant; specifically, a complete and rapid chlorosis, browning, then death of plant tissues such as floral organs, leaves, branches, or twigs, especially one caused by a fungus; a mildew, a rust, a smut.
2. The cause of such a condition, often unseen but believed to be airborne; specifically, a bacterium, a virus, or (especially) a fungus; also, an aphid which attacks fruit trees.
3. A state of cloudy, humid weather.
4. A diseased condition of the face or skin; specifically, bleeding under the conjunctiva of the eye, a form of skin rash, or a palsy of the face due to cold.
5. Something that impedes development or growth, or spoils any other aspect of life.
6. A rundown and unsightly condition of an urban area; also, such an area.

Verb

1. To affect the fertility or growth of (a plant) with a blight (noun sense 1.1), especially one caused by a fungus; to blast, to mildew, to smut.
2. To affect (a body part) with a disease.
3. To impede the development or growth of (an aspect of life); to damage, to ruin, to spoil.
4. Of a plant: to suffer blight (noun sense 1.1).

Synonyms

ruin

mar

plague

spoil

unsoundness

corrupt

blast

damage

deface

mildew

pest

blemish

devastate

impair

wreck

disrupt

rust

wilt

withering

afflict

kill

🔪🩸👤

smut

murder

destroy

deflower

desiccate

despoil

destruct

destruction

disease

disfigure

dish

do away with

drag down

drop

dry

efface

erase

ergot

evil

fade

fading

flyblown

frustrate

go

harm

hit

hurt

jaundice

lampblack

macerate

mangle

mishandle

off

pervert

pestilence

plant disease

pollute

prejudice

profane

pulverize

rack

rancid

ravage

smash

smite

smudge

soot

soured

spoiled

spoilt

staleness

strain

subvert

sully

taint

tainted

torment

turned

undo

unmake

vandalize

vitiate

wilting

wither

wizen

bread mold

detract from

do for

epidemic disease

louse up

shake down

rust fungus

boil smut

flag smut fungus

smut fungus

wheat scab

abolish

loimia

affect

affliction

bad

👎

bedevil

blasts

blighted

bobble

bollix

bollocks

break

bunt

caries

cinder

cinders

contaminated

corruption

curse

debase

debauch

decimate

deform

demolish

deprave

depravity

Wekî (IPA) tê bilêvkirin

/blaɪt/

Etîmolojî (English)

Cognate with Middle English: blichening

Cognate with Middle English: bliken

Cognate with Old English: blīcan

Cognate with îngilîzî: blike

Cognate with Old Norse: blikna

Inherited from Middle English: *bleighte

Inherited from Old English: blǣcþa

In summary

The etymology of the noun is uncertain; suggested derivations include the following:
* possibly related to Middle English blichening (“mildew or rust on grain, blight”), possibly related to Middle English bliken (“to gleam, shine; to turn pale”), from Old English blīcan (“to shine, sparkle”) (whence modern English blike (“(obsolete) to gleam, shine”); also compare Old Norse blikna (“to grow pallid”)), from Proto-West Germanic *blīkan (“to shine”), from Proto-Germanic *blīkaną (“to gleam, shine”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰleyǵ- (“to shine”); or
* since sense 2.2 is a diseased condition of the skin, possibly from Middle English *bleighte, *bleȝte, from Old English blǣcþa (“leprosy”) (related to blǣċe (“an itching skin-disease”) and blǣċo (“leprosy; paleness”)), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *blaikaz (“pale; white”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰleyǵ- (“to shine”). If so, the word is a doublet of bleak.
The verb is derived from the noun.