/blame-meaning

/blame-meaning-etymology

-) 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.

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

-) Synonyms for “blame”: to censure, reproach.

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

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

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

Scott… Quentin Durward… 1823

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

F… Burney… Madame D'Arblay… 1842

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

Macaulay… Critical and Historical Essays… 1843

-) 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. 

Poe… The Gold-Bug… 1843

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

Smedley… Frank Fairlegh… 1850

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… 1874

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… 1908

-) Reflexively:

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

C… Bury… Love… 1838

-) 2. To attribute a fault or disapprovable action to (someone or something); to designate as deserving demerit for.

-) This meaning is confusable with the preceding one.

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

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

Mackay… The Western World… 1849

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

J… Hall… Legends… 1857

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

He blamed the sun for the flies.

R… Cullum… The Forfeit… 1917

-) To blame: to be blamed; deserving blame; in fault.

-) Used as the predicate after “be” or after its like. OED: In the 16–17th c. the “to” was misunderstood as “too”, and “blame” taken as adj. = blameworthy, culpable.

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

Poe… Loss of Breath… 1832

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

J… Lockhart… Life of Walter Scott… 1837

"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… 1874

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

MacDonald… A Double Story… 1875

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

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

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

M… Logue… The king’s Speech… 2010

-) English words derived from the 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.