# bruise

> English word · Verb · IPA /bɹuːz/ · frequency rank #22,909

## Definitions
1. To strike (a person), originally with something flat or heavy, but now specifically in such a way as to discolour the skin without breaking it; to contuse.
2. To damage the skin of (fruit or vegetables), in an analogous way.
3. Of fruit or vegetables, to gain bruises through being handled roughly.
4. To become bruised.
5. To fight with the fists; to box.
6. To harm or injure somebody's feelings or self-esteem.
7. To impair (gin) by shaking rather than stirring.

## Etymology
From Middle English bruisen, brusen, brosen, brisen, bresen, from a merger two words, both ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰrews- (“to break”):
* Old English brȳsan, brīesan (“to bruise; crush”), from Proto-Germanic *brausijaną, *brūsijaną (“to break; crumble; crack”). Provided the word's sense.
* Anglo-Norman bruiser, bruser (“to break, smash, shatter”), from Gaulish *brus-, from Proto-Celtic *bruseti (“to break”). Provided the word's form.
Cognate with Scots brizz, German brausen (“to roar; boom; pound”), Old English brosnian (“to crumble, fall apart”), Dutch broos (“brittle”), German Brosame (“crumb”), dialectal Norwegian brøysk (“breakable”), Latin frustum (“bit, scrap”), Old Church Slavonic бръснути (brŭsnuti, “to rake”), Albanian breshër (“hail”).

## Easily confused with
- **brush** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bruise-vs-brush)
- **brute** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bruise-vs-brute)
- **bruises** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bruise-vs-bruises)
- **bruised** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bruise-vs-bruised)
- **bruiser** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bruise-vs-bruiser)
- **brutish** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bruise-vs-brutish)
- **brie** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/brie-vs-bruise)
- **Bruce** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bruce-vs-bruise)
- **bride** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bride-vs-bruise)
- **bribe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bribe-vs-bruise)
- **Boise** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/boise-vs-bruise)
- **brisk** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/brisk-vs-bruise)
- **brine** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/brine-vs-bruise)
- **Brice** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/brice-vs-bruise)
- **browse** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/browse-vs-bruise)
- **bluish** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bluish-vs-bruise)
- **Blaise** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/blaise-vs-bruise)
- **braised** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/braised-vs-bruise)
- **brews** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/brews-vs-bruise)

## Common misspellings (7)
`bbruise`, `briuse`, `brruise`, `bruies`, `brusie`, `burise`, `rbuise`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/bruise