ENGLISH
REFERENCE

bleed

v.
C1 Advanced Oxford US //ˈbɫid// UK //blˈiːd// bleed Archaic

v. to lose blood from your body, usually because of a cut or injury. It can also describe liquid or color leaking into another area.

v. to lose blood from the vascular system through a wound or ruptured vessel. In technical contexts, it refers to the seepage of ink or color across a boundary or the intentional release of air or fluid from a closed system.


SIMPLE

My finger started to bleed after I cut it on the paper.

CONTEXTUAL

If you wash that bright red shirt with white clothes, the color might bleed and ruin them.

COMPLEX

The technician had to bleed the brake lines to ensure no air bubbles remained in the hydraulic system, which would otherwise compromise the vehicle's stopping power.

Synonyms
Origin

From Middle English bleden, from Old English blēdan (“to bleed”), from Proto-West Germanic blōdijan, from Proto-Germanic blōþijaną (“to bleed”), from *blōþą (“blood”). Cognates Cognate with Scots blede, bleid (“to bleed”), Saterland Frisian bläide (“to bleed”), West Frisian bliede (“to bleed”), Dutch bloeden (“to bleed”), Low German blöden (“to bleed”), German bluten (“to bleed”), Danish bløde (“to bleed”), Swedish blöda (“to bleed”).

Usage

The verb is intransitive when referring to the loss of blood, but can be transitive in technical contexts like mechanics or printing.

Pitfall

My finger is bleeding meMy finger is bleedingWhen referring to an injury, the verb is intransitive; the body part is the subject, not the object.

Idioms1 entry

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