Dictionary

blue blood en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈbluˌblʌd/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Calque of Spanish sangre azul (compare also French sang bleu), probably in reference to the blue-hued veins more easily seen on the skin of White people—particularly the highclass ones, whereas the skin of lowclass/peasantry Caucasians (who would often be toiling away under the sun) would naturally tan in order to protect itself from UV rays, thus losing its visible veins.

Meanings

1. (uncountable) Noble or aristocratic ancestry.
   • "He loves you, Jane. Thin persons like a fine armful of a woman. Pharaoh, who is a cad, likes blue blood on the same principle of the attraction of opposites. That is why he is captivated by Gertrude's aristocratic air." 1883, George Bernard Shaw, chapter III, in An Unsocial Socialist:
2. (countable) An aristocrat.
   • His expected appearance at the Met Gala — once a staid affair for New York blue bloods that has become an East Coast Oscars on Ms. Wintour’s watch — can be viewed as part of TikTok’s shift in how it presents itself to the public. 2024 May 3, Jacob Bernstein, Madison Malone Kircher, Sapna Maheshwari, “TikTok’s Boss Goes From Reserved Tech Exec to Met Gala Chair”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 03 May 2024:
   • The bluebloods of golf began pouring into the sweltering nation’s capital yesterday for the 64th U.S. Open championship, and the hottest topic was not Arnold Palmer or Jack Nicklaus, but Champagne Tony Lema. 1964 June 16, “All Eyes On Lema At U.S. Open This Week”, in The Indianapolis Star, volume 62, number 11, Indianapolis, Ind., page 22:
3. (countable, uncountable) Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see blue, blood.
   • Octopuses and squids are examples of animals that have blue blood.

Forms

Deriveds

blue-blooded · blue-bloodedness

Translations (42)

id darah biru (aristocrat) · de blaues Blut (noble or aristocratic ancestry) · cs modrá krev (noble or aristocratic ancestry) · ky аристократ (noble or aristocratic ancestry) · tr mavi kan (noble or aristocratic ancestry) · ca sang blava (noble or aristocratic ancestry) · bg синя кръв (noble or aristocratic ancestry) · ro sânge albastru (noble or aristocratic ancestry) · nl blauw bloed (noble or aristocratic ancestry) · tr mavi kanlı (aristocrat) · ko 귀족 계급 (noble or aristocratic ancestry) · fi sininen veri (noble or aristocratic ancestry) · sk modrá krv (noble or aristocratic ancestry) · tl dugong mahal (noble or aristocratic ancestry) · fi siniverinen (aristocrat) · sv blått blod (noble or aristocratic ancestry) · tl dugong bughaw (noble or aristocratic ancestry) · de Blaublüter (aristocrat) · nb blått blod (noble or aristocratic ancestry) · mk сина крв (noble or aristocratic ancestry) · fr sang bleu (noble or aristocratic ancestry) · tr aristokrat (aristocrat) · sh плава крв (noble or aristocratic ancestry) · hu kékvér (noble or aristocratic ancestry) · sh plava krv (noble or aristocratic ancestry) · ja 青い血 (noble or aristocratic ancestry) · gl sangue azul (noble or aristocratic ancestry) · is blátt blóð (noble or aristocratic ancestry) · ms darah putih (noble or aristocratic ancestry) · nn blått blod (noble or aristocratic ancestry) · id darah biru (noble or aristocratic ancestry) · pt sangue azul (noble or aristocratic ancestry) · el γαλαζοαίματος (noble or aristocratic ancestry) · vi quý tộc (noble or aristocratic ancestry) · it sangue blu (noble or aristocratic ancestry) · tr asilzade (aristocrat) · ky ак сөөк (noble or aristocratic ancestry) · pl błękitna krew (noble or aristocratic ancestry) · es sangre azul (noble or aristocratic ancestry) · ru голуба́я кровь (noble or aristocratic ancestry) · et siniveri (noble or aristocratic ancestry) · de Blaublüterin (aristocrat)