blowen

English

Noun

blowen (plural blowens)

  1. (obsolete, vulgar) A prostitute; a courtesan.
    • 1840, Regular Slangsman, The Flash Mirror, Or, Kiddy's Cabinet, page 12:
      Poll Strokem, an old blowen, well known about the streets of London, was continually crying; see her whenever you would, she was all snot and slobber, like a calf's head on a hot summer's day []
    • August 1831, Bryan O'Toole, “Barney Moore”, in Blackwood Magazine:
      Many a blowen of saloonic fame

References

Anagrams

Middle English

Etymology 1

    Inherited from Old English blāwan, from Proto-West Germanic *blāan, from Proto-Germanic *blēaną.

    Alternative forms

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /ˈblɔu̯ən/
    • (Northern) IPA(key): /ˈblɑu̯(ən)/

    Verb

    blowen

    1. To blow (produce a current of air):
      1. To blow away; to blow to eliminate or remove.
      2. To breathe (in or out); to inhale or exhale.
      3. To play a wind instrument (by blowing)
      4. To strengthen a fire by blowing on it.
      5. To inflate or blow up; to expand by blowing.
      6. To gasp; to struggle to breathe.
    2. To spread a communicable disease (by exhalation).
    3. To smelt; to extract metal from ore.
    4. To make a sound, especially flatulence.
    5. To insult or brag (talk coarsely)
    6. To proclaim; to broadly disseminate.
    7. (rare) To be blown around (by wind).
    Conjugation
    Conjugation of blowen (strong class 7)
    infinitive (to) blowen, blowe
    present tense past tense
    1st-person singular blowe blew
    2nd-person singular blowest blewe1
    3rd-person singular bloweth blew
    subjunctive singular blowe blewe2
    imperative singular
    plural3 blowen, blowe blewen, blewe
    imperative plural bloweth, blowe
    participles blowynge, blowende blowen, blowe, yblowen, yblowe

    1 Later replaced by the 1st-/3rd-person singular or blewest.
    2 Later replaced by the indicative.
    3 Sometimes used as a formal 2nd-person singular.

    Derived terms
    Descendants
    • English: blow
    • Geordie: blaw
    • Scots: blaw
    • Yola: blay
    References

    Etymology 2

      Inherited from Old English blōwan, from Proto-West Germanic *blōan, from Proto-Germanic *blōaną.

      Alternative forms

      Pronunciation

      • IPA(key): /ˈblɔu̯ən/

      Verb

      blowen

      1. To blossom; to flower.
        • a. 1250, unknown, “Sumer is icumen in”‎[1]:
          Lhude sing cuccu / Groweþ sed / and bloweþ med
          Sing loudly, cuckoo! / seed grows / and fields bloom
      2. (figurative) To grow, to flourish.
      Usage notes

      This verb is occasionally weak, but usually remains strong, probably due to influence from Etymology 1.

      Conjugation
      Conjugation of blowen (strong class 7)
      infinitive (to) blowen, blowe
      present tense past tense
      1st-person singular blowe blew
      2nd-person singular blowest blewe1
      3rd-person singular bloweth blew
      subjunctive singular blowe blewe2
      imperative singular
      plural3 blowen, blowe blewen, blewe
      imperative plural bloweth, blowe
      participles blowynge, blowende blowen, blowe, yblowen, yblowe

      1 Later replaced by the 1st-/3rd-person singular or blewest.
      2 Later replaced by the indicative.
      3 Sometimes used as a formal 2nd-person singular.

      Derived terms
      Descendants
      References

      Old English

      Pronunciation

      • IPA(key): /ˈbloː.wen/

      Verb

      blōwen

      1. plural present subjunctive of blōwan

      Participle

      blōwen

      1. past participle of blōwan