Meaning

noun a mark or flaw that spoils the appearance of something (especially on a person's body)

verb mar or spoil the appearance of

verb mar or impair with a flaw

originFrom Middle English blemisshen, blemissen, from Old French blemiss-, stem of Old French blemir, blesmir (“make pale, injure, wound, bruise”) (French blêmir), from Old Frankish *blesmijan, *blasmijan (“to make pale”), from Old Frankish *blasmī (“pale”), from Proto-Germanic *blasaz (“white, pale”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- (“to shine”). Cognate with Dutch bles (“white spot”), German blass…

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0