bruise / broōz/ • n. an injury appearing as an area of discolored skin on the body, caused by a blow or impact rupturing underlying blood vessels. ∎  a similar area of damage on a fruit, vegetable, or plant.• v. [tr.] [often as adj.] (bruised) inflict such an injury on (someone or something): a bruised knee. ∎  hurt (someone's feelings): she tried to bolster her bruised pride. ∎  [intr.] be susceptible to bruising: potatoes bruise easily, so treat them with care. ∎  crush or pound (something): bruise the raisins before adding to the mixture.

bruise Visible bruising is well known to result from a blunt injury to the body surface. It may also follow deeper injuries — sprains or fractures — but this takes longer to show itself. A bruise is due to rupture of blood vessels and escape of blood into the interstices among the cells and connective tissue beneath the outermost layer of skin. The red blood cells break down, and their pigment, haemoglobin, undergoes chemical changes which account for the sequence of colours in the bruise. The debris is eventually removed by macrophages. A bruise can likewise occur internally on or in any organ or tissue subjected to a blow, squeeze or stretch: contusion is an alternative term.

Stuart Judge

bruise (orig.) crush, mangle, (now) injure by a blow. or pressure without breaking skin. OE. brȳsan (whence ME. brüse, brise), rel. to OE. brosnian crumble, decay. With this coalesced brüse, bro(y)se, later bruise — AN. bruser, OF. bruisier (mod. briser) break, smash. of unkn. orig.
Hence bruise sb. †breach XV; contusion XVI.

bruise (contusion) (brooz) n. an area of skin discoloration caused by the escape of blood from ruptured underlying vessels following injury.