Blond

Pronunciation

• RP IPA: /blÉ’nd/
• US IPA: /blÉ‘nd/
• Rhymes: -É’nd

Alternative forms

• blonde

Origin

From Middle French blond m, from Old French blond, blont, from Frankish *blund ("a mixed color between golden and light-brown"), from Proto-Germanic *blundaz ("mixed, blinding"), from Proto-Indo-European *bÊ°lendÊ°- ("to become turbid, see badly, go blind"). Compare Old English blondenfeax ("grey-haired"), Old English blandan ("to mix"). More at blend.

Alternative etymology connects Frankish *blund to Proto-Germanic *blundaz ("blond"), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰl̥ndʰ-, *bʰlendʰ- ("blond, red-haired"). Cognate with Sanskrit ब्रध्न (bradhná, "ruddy, pale red, yellowish").

Full definition of blond

Noun

1. A person of fair hair.
2. A pale yellowish (golden brown) color, especially as a hair color.

Usage notes

This word can vary according to gender, with "blond" being used of males and "blonde" of females, following French usage.

Some writers, especially in the US, treat the spellings as interchangeable or use blond gender-neutrally.

Traditional terms for light hair are "fair(-haired)", "fairheaded", "flaxen", "tow-haired", and "towhead(ed)".

Adjective

1. Of a bleached or pale golden (light yellowish) colour.blond hairblonde ale; blonde beer
• 1914, in the American Anthropologist:She has a blond complexion, with brown hair and gray eyes.
• 2011, Beauty Confessions, If you're going one or two shades lighter, don't even touch your brows. But if you're making a big change, soften them by tinting them with home haircolor: a lighter shade of brown for blonder shades, a golden shade if you're dyeing your hair red.
2. (of a person) Having blond hair.
• 2012, The Best Blonde Hair Color in Hollywood, Blonde bombshells have been around since the beginning of time, but lately, stars have really been stepping up their golden-haired game.

Derived terms