blandishment
Jun. 17th, 2016 07:56 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
prettygoodwordblandishment (BLAN-dish-muhnt) - n., (usaually plural) a flattering or ingratiating act or remark that is meant to persuade or influence; the act of blandishing, cajolery.
This noun form dates from around 1590, but the now more obscure verb (it's been rare since the 18th century), to blandish, dates from c.1300, adopted from Anglo-Norman blandiss-, present participle stem of Old French blandir, to flatter/caress, from Latin blandīrī, flatter/soothe/caress/coax, from blandus, smooth-talking/flattering/alluring (which also arrived in English via Italian as bland). (For me, it always brings up memories of "The Dover Bitch.")
---L.
This noun form dates from around 1590, but the now more obscure verb (it's been rare since the 18th century), to blandish, dates from c.1300, adopted from Anglo-Norman blandiss-, present participle stem of Old French blandir, to flatter/caress, from Latin blandīrī, flatter/soothe/caress/coax, from blandus, smooth-talking/flattering/alluring (which also arrived in English via Italian as bland). (For me, it always brings up memories of "The Dover Bitch.")
---L.
