Forms: 1 blæse, 1–7 blase, 3 blass, 6– blaze; north. and Sc. 3–6 bles(e, 4 blose, 6 bleis(e, bleiss, 7– bleeze. [OE. blase, blæse, wk. fem., chiefly in sense of ‘torch’ (OTeut. type *blasôn-), is cogn. w. MHG. blas neut., a torch, with OHG. blass, mod.G. blass ‘pale, whitish’ (originally ‘shining’), and with BLAZE sb.2 The northern forms with ē probably originated in a lengthening of the vowel of OE. blæse.]
† 1. A torch, firebrand. Obs.
c. 1000. Ælfric, Gloss., in Wr.-Wülcker, 126. Lampas, blase.
c. 1000. Ags. Gosp., John xviii. 3. Iudas … com þyder mid leohtfatum & mid blasum.
1160. Hatton G., ibid. Blesen, v.r. bleosum.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, IV. x. 87. The feirfull brandis and blesis of hait fyre, Reddy to birne thi schippis.
1535. Stewart, Cron. Scot., I. 332. Sa mony bleises into the tyme hes brint Of pik and tar.
2. A bright glowing flame or fire. In a blaze (on blaze obs.): on fire, in flames.
a. 1000. Guthlac (Gr.), 648. In bælblæsan.
c. 1205. Lay., 2859. In þere temple he lette beornen enne blase of fure.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 8877. Vte o þat tre it brast a blese (other MSS. blass, blase) Þat brent þam al wit-in a rese.
1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. XVII. 212. A torche, The blase þere-of yblowe out.
1393. Gower, Conf., II. 244. They setten all on blase.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, VI. ix. 129. A fell bleiss of thundir.
1612. T. Taylor, Comm. Titus ii. 12. It is as fire in straw, a blase and away.
1725. De Foe, Voy. round World (1840), 331. A few withered dry sticks, with which they made a blaze.
1857. Willmott, Pleas. Lit., xi. 46. The strongest blaze soon goes out when a man always blows and never feeds it.
b. (slang.) Blazes: pl. referring to the flames of hell, used in several forcible expressions, as the blazes! Like blazes: furiously, impetuously. To (the) blazes: to perdition, ‘to the deuce’; used in imprecations.
1838. Dickens, O. Twist, 91. What the blazes is in the wind now?
1845. Disraeli, Sybil (Rtldg.), 284. She sets her face against gals working in mills like blazes.
1853. De Quincey, Sp. Mil. Nun, Wks. 1862, III. 84. The horse … went like blazes.
† c. A ‘flash’ (of lightning), a moment. Obs.
1590. Greene, Never too late (1600), 71. Lightning, that beautifies the heauen for a blaze.
3. fig. A sudden kindling up of passion as of a fire; a violent outburst.
[a. 1240. Ureisun, in Lamb. Hom., 185. Ontend me wiþ þe blase of þi leitinde loue.]
1593. Shaks., Rich. II., II. i. 33. His rash fierce blaze of Ryot cannot last. Ibid. (1606), Tr. & Cr., IV. v. 105. Hector in his blaze of wrath subscribes To tender obiects.
1646. Buck, Rich. III., I. 15. The Blaze of Ambition.
1758. Johnson, Idler, No. 4, ¶ 10. There is danger lest the blaze of charity … should die away.
1874. Stoughton, Ch. of Rev., xii. 279. Which fanned the Lower House into a blaze of resentment.
4. Brilliant light, brightness, brilliancy; a glow of bright color.
1564. Harrington, To Isabella Markham, 4. Eyes that mock the diamonds blaze.
1586. M. Roydon, Elegy, 169, in Spenser’s Wks. (1842), V. 283. The blaze whereof when Mars beheld.
1671. Milton, Samson, 80. O dark, dark, dark, amid the blaze of noon.
1801. Southey, Thalaba, X. xiv. The rich geranium’s scarlet blaze.
1848. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., II. 587. The theatres were … one blaze of orange ribands.
5. fig. a. = BLAZING STAR 2, cynosure.
1579. Lyly, Euphues (Arb.), 102. Thy beautie hath made thee the blaze of Italy.
b. Glory, splendor, brilliant display.
1579. Lyly, Euphues, 180. ‘Beauty, where is thy blaze?’
1712. Addison, Spect., No. 369, ¶ 8. A most glorious Blaze of Poetical Images.
1850. Tennyson, In Mem., xcviii. Sadness flings Her shadow on the blaze of kings.
1875. Jowett, Plato (ed. 2), II. 169. Enveloping in a blaze of jests the most serious matters.
c. Clear or full light, as of noon.
1748. Richardson, Clarissa (1811), I. i. 3. Now to your regret, pushed into blaze, as I may say.
1869. Lecky, Europ. Mor., II. i. 64. The blaze of publicity.
1879. Farrar, St. Paul (1883), 150. In the full blaze of contemporary knowledge.
6. Comb., as blaze-trailing.
1809. J. Barlow, Columb., VII. 231. Blaze-trailing fuses vault the night’s dim round.
