different between blur vs sully

English

Etymology

From earlier blurre, probably an alteration of blear, from Middle English bleren, from Old English blerian. Compare Scots blore, bloar (“to blur, cover with blots”). More at blear.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bl?(?)/

Verb

blur (third-person singular simple present blurs, present participle blurring, simple past and past participle blurred)

1. To make indistinct or hazy, to obscure or dim.

2. To smear, stain or smudge.

3. (intransitive) To become indistinct.
4. To cause imperfection of vision in; to dim; to darken.
   • 1819, Joseph Rodman Drake, The Culprit Fay

     His eyes are blurred with the lightning's glare.

5. (obsolete, transitive) To sully; to stain; to blemish, as reputation.

   • Sarcasms may eclipse thine own, / But cannot blur my lost renown.

6. (graphical user interface, transitive) To transfer the input focus away from.
   • 2003, John Pollock, JavaScript: A Beginner's Guide, Second Edition (page 175)

     Then give this box focus to blur the first one: […]

   • 2001, Martin Webb, Michel Plungjan, Keith Drakard, Instant JavaScript (page 678)

     These form elements need to have an onFocus event handler to blur the current focus.

Synonyms

• (make indistinct or hazy): pixelate, smooth
• (move input focus from): unfocus

Antonyms

• sharpen

Translations

Noun

blur (plural blurs)

1. A smear, smudge or blot
2. Something that appears hazy or indistinct
3. (obsolete) A moral stain or blot.
   • 1548, Nicolas Udall, The first tome or volume of the Paraphrase of Erasmus vpon the newe testamente:

     […] with her raillyng sette a great blurre on myne honesty

Derived terms

• motion blur

Translations

Adjective

blur (comparative more blur, superlative most blur)

1. (Malaysia, Singapore, informal) In a state of doubt or confusion.

Anagrams

• Burl, burl

English

Etymology

From Middle English sulen, sulien (“to become dirty; to defile, pollute, taint”), from Old English sylian (“to soil, pollute; to sully”), from Proto-Germanic *suliw?n?, *sulw?n?, *sulwijan? (“to make dirty; to sully”), from Proto-Indo-European *s?l- (“thick liquid, muck”), perhaps conflated partially with Old French souillier (“to soil”) (modern French souiller) from the same Germanic source. The word is cognate with Danish søle (“to sully”), Dutch zaluwen (“to sully”) (Middle Dutch saluwen (“to sully”)), German sühlen (“to sully”), Old Saxon sulian (“to sully”), Swedish söla (“to sully”). Also compare Middle English sulpen (“to defile, pollute”), Old English solian (“to soil, become defiled, make or become foul”), and see more at soil.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /?s?li/
• Rhymes: -?li
• Hyphenation: sul?ly

Verb

sully (third-person singular simple present sullies, present participle sullying, simple past and past participle sullied)

1. (transitive) To soil or stain; to dirty.

   Synonym: (obsolete) sowl
2. (transitive) To corrupt or damage.
3. (intransitive, ergative) To become soiled or tarnished.

Alternative forms

• sullow

Coordinate terms

• (to corrupt or damage): besmirch, debase, stain, tarnish

Derived terms

• besully
• unsullied
• unsully

Translations

Noun

sully (plural sullies)

1. (rare, obsolete) A blemish.

References