blood

n. [ OE. blod, blood, AS. blōd; akin to D. bloed, OHG. bluot, G. blut, Goth. blōþ, Icel. blōð, Sw. & Dan. blod; prob. fr. the same root as E. blow to bloom. See Blow to bloom. ] 1. The fluid which circulates in the principal vascular system of animals, carrying nourishment to all parts of the body, and bringing away waste products to be excreted. See under Arterial. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The blood consists of a liquid, the plasma, containing minute particles, the blood corpuscles. In the invertebrate animals it is usually nearly colorless, and contains only one kind of corpuscles; but in all vertebrates, except Amphioxus, it contains some colorless corpuscles, with many more which are red and give the blood its uniformly red color. See Corpuscle, Plasma. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Relationship by descent from a common ancestor; consanguinity; kinship. [ 1913 Webster ]

To share the blood of Saxon royalty. Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

A friend of our own blood. Waller. [ 1913 Webster ]

Half blood (Law), relationship through only one parent. --
Whole blood, relationship through both father and mother. In American Law, blood includes both half blood, and whole blood. Bouvier. Peters. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Descent; lineage; especially, honorable birth; the highest royal lineage. [ 1913 Webster ]

Give us a prince of blood, a son of Priam. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

I am a gentleman of blood and breeding. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Stock Breeding) Descent from parents of recognized breed; excellence or purity of breed. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ In stock breeding half blood is descent showing one half only of pure breed. Blue blood, full blood, or warm blood, is the same as blood. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. The fleshy nature of man. [ 1913 Webster ]

Nor gives it satisfaction to our blood. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. The shedding of blood; the taking of life, murder; manslaughter; destruction. [ 1913 Webster ]

So wills the fierce, avenging sprite,
Till blood for blood atones. Hood. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. A bloodthirsty or murderous disposition. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

He was a thing of blood, whose every motion
Was timed with dying cries. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

8. Temper of mind; disposition; state of the passions; -- as if the blood were the seat of emotions. [ 1913 Webster ]

When you perceive his blood inclined to mirth. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Often, in this sense, accompanied with bad, cold, warm, or other qualifying word. Thus, to commit an act in cold blood, is to do it deliberately, and without sudden passion; to do it in bad blood, is to do it in anger. Warm blood denotes a temper inflamed or irritated. To warm or heat the blood is to excite the passions. Qualified by up, excited feeling or passion is signified; as, my blood was up. [ 1913 Webster ]

9. A man of fire or spirit; a fiery spark; a gay, showy man; a rake. [ 1913 Webster ]

Seest thou not . . . how giddily 'a turns about all the hot bloods between fourteen and five and thirty? Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

It was the morning costume of a dandy or blood. Thackeray. [ 1913 Webster ]

10. The juice of anything, especially if red. [ 1913 Webster ]

He washed . . . his clothes in the blood of grapes. Gen. xiix. 11. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Blood is often used as an adjective, and as the first part of self-explaining compound words; as, blood-bespotted, blood-bought, blood-curdling, blood-dyed, blood-red, blood-spilling, blood-stained, blood-warm, blood-won. [ 1913 Webster ]

Blood baptism (Eccl. Hist.), the martyrdom of those who had not been baptized. They were considered as baptized in blood, and this was regarded as a full substitute for literal baptism. --
Blood blister, a blister or bleb containing blood or bloody serum, usually caused by an injury. --
Blood brother, brother by blood or birth. --
Blood clam (Zool.), a bivalve mollusk of the genus Arca and allied genera, esp. Argina pexata of the American coast. So named from the color of its flesh. --
Blood corpuscle. See Corpuscle. --
Blood crystal (Physiol.), one of the crystals formed by the separation in a crystalline form of the hæmoglobin of the red blood corpuscles; hæmatocrystallin. All blood does not yield blood crystals. --
Blood heat, heat equal to the temperature of human blood, or about 981/2 ° Fahr. --
Blood horse, a horse whose blood or lineage is derived from the purest and most highly prized origin or stock. --
Blood money. See in the Vocabulary. --
Blood orange, an orange with dark red pulp. --
Blood poisoning (Med.), a morbid state of the blood caused by the introduction of poisonous or infective matters from without, or the absorption or retention of such as are produced in the body itself; toxæmia. --
Blood pudding, a pudding made of blood and other materials. --
Blood relation, one connected by blood or descent. --
Blood spavin. See under Spavin. --
Blood vessel. See in the Vocabulary. --
Blue blood, the blood of noble or aristocratic families, which, according to a Spanish prover , has in it a tinge of blue; -- hence, a member of an old and aristocratic family. --
Flesh and blood. (a) A blood relation, esp. a child. (b) Human nature. --
In blood (Hunting), in a state of perfect health and vigor. Shak. --
To let blood. See under Let. --
Prince of the blood, the son of a sovereign, or the issue of a royal family. The sons, brothers, and uncles of the sovereign are styled princes of the blood royal; and the daughters, sisters, and aunts are princesses of the blood royal. [ 1913 Webster ]