Standard Lemma guide

bleen

adj · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • blēn
  • /bliːn/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -iːn

1

adj

Meaning 1

Of an object, blue when first observed before a specified time or green when first observed after that time.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Topics: human-sciences, philosophy, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Blend of blue + green; coined by American philosopher Nelson Goodman in 1955 to illustrate concepts in the philosophy of science

Across languages

Translations

4 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • French: bert — of an object blue that is first blue, then green
  • German: blün — of an object blue that is first blue, then green
  • Persian: و آبز — of an object blue that is first blue, then green
  • Chinese Mandarin: 藍綠 /蓝绿 — translations to be checked