/blame/definition

blame

-) Verb.

-) Pronunciation: bleɪm.

-) It is dated from the beginning of 1200.

-) Etymology: from Old French blasmer (= blame), from Latin blasphemare (= to blaspheme), from Greek blasphemein (= to speak ill of, blaspheme), from blasphemos (= evil-speaking), from blas- + -phemos, from phanai (= to say). The Italian biasimare, and the French blâmer are from the same origin.

-) Preterite tense: blamed (pronunciation: bleɪmd).

-) Preterite participle: blamed.

-) Present participle: blaming.

-) Transitively: 1. To express blame or disapprobation of (an action, a person for his action or for his fault).

-) Synonyms: to censure, reproach.

-) Antonyms: to praise, laud, extol, commend, eulogize, magnify.

-) Translation: blâmer, in French; reprochar, in Spanish; biasimare, in Italian.

They wondered at my temerity, and probably blamed it; but there was no time for discussion, and we separated.

Frances Burney… Madame D'Arblay

Many persons blamed the conduct of Pitt on this occasion as disrespectful to the King.

Macaulay… Critical and Historical Essays

Louis kept his promise of vengeance against… La Balue, whom he always blamed as having betrayed him to Burgundy.

Scott… Quentin Durward

-) With the preposition for + a noun, or a gerund, by which the cause of disapprobation is designated:

I could hardly blame Jupiter for his opinion. 

Edgar Poe

So he rode slowly and thought of many things he might have done which would have been better than what he did do; and wondered what the girl thought about it and if she blamed him for not doing something different.

Bower… The Long Shadow

Clara, naturally much distressed and annoyed by this information, blamed him for not having spoken to her sooner.

Smedley… Frank Fairlegh  

Those good friends of mine who have done me the honor of looking at my attempts had blamed me for the uselessness of my inventions.

Howells… A Foregone Conclusion

-) Reflexively:

She blamed herself for having ever felt dislike to Miss Clermont.

Charlotte Bury… Love

-) 2. To attribute a fault or disapprovable action to (someone or something), with words of disapprobation; to designate as deserving demerit for; --this acceptation is confusable with the preceding one.

-) Translation: blâmer, in French; culpar, in Spanish; incolpare, in Italian.

He blamed the sun for the flies.

Ridgwell Cullum… The Forfeit

[…] some blamed the ship, others the captain; but nobody thought of blaming the weather.

Mackay… The Western World

She was not sorry to leave the shepherd's cottage, for she felt certain of soon finding her way back to her father and mother; and she would, indeed, have set out long before, but that her foot had somehow got hurt […], and she had never since been able for long walks, which she sometimes blamed as the cause of her temper growing worse.

MacDonald… A Double Story 1875

-) To blame: to be blamed; deserving blame; in fault; --used as the predicate after “be” or after its like.

So the princess is not to be blamed that she was very much frightened.

MacDonald… A Double Story 1875

I have perhaps been to blame in delaying so long to announce my name and business.

James Hall… Harpe's Head

[…] the dogs were not so much to blame in mistaking his game flavour.

John Lockhart… Life of Walter Scott

I am aware that by many I shall be held to blame for speaking in a manner so cursory of a transaction so impalpable.

Edgar Poe

"My opinion is (since you ask it) that you are greatly to blame for playing pranks upon a man like Mr. Boldwood…

Hardy… Far from the Madding Crowd

-) 3. To attribute (a fault or disapprovable action) to something or someone.

-) With the preposition on + noun (someone or something to blame):

Sprague privately blamed the delayed rescue effort on the commander of the Seventh Fleet, Admiral Kinkaid.

James Hornfischer… The Last Stand

In his customary birthday letter to the King, Logue blamed the dramatic turn of events on a delayed reaction to an incident…

Mark Logue… The king’s Speech

-) English words derived from th verb BLAME: blameable, blamable, blamableness, blameableness, blamably, blameably, blameful, blamefully, blamefulness, blameless, blamelessly, blamelessness, blamer, blameworthy, blameworthiness, blaming, blamingly, unblameable, unblamable, unblameableness, unblamableness, unblameably, unblamably, unblamed.