| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| blacken |
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| SYLLABICATION: | black·en |
| PRONUNCIATION: |  bl k  n |
| VERB: | Inflected forms: black·ened, black·en·ing, black·ens
| | TRANSITIVE VERB: | 1. To make black. 2. To sully or defame: a scandal that blackened the mayor's name. 3. To coat (fish or meat, for example) with pepper and other spices and then quickly sear in a very hot skillet, thereby producing meat that is black on the outside but tender on the inside. | | INTRANSITIVE VERB: | To become dark or black: The day blackened into night. | | OTHER FORMS: | blacken·er —NOUN
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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