blood
This word carries a heavy duality of meaning, shifting between a cold biological reality and a deep emotional or ancestral tie. In a medical or forensic context, it is clinical and objective, often associated with injury, health, or crime.
In a social or historical context, it evokes themes of lineage, loyalty, and kinship. It suggests an unbreakable, inherited connection that transcends choice or law, often appearing in discussions about family honor or ethnic heritage.
Uncountable when referring to the fluid in a body. Countable when referring to different types or categories of blood, such as blood groups.
Meanings
Examples
The nurse drew a small amount of blood for the lab test.
They are related by blood and have always been very close.
Collocations & Compounds
blood pressure
Noun collocation: the force of blood against the walls of the arteries
The nurse checked the patient's blood pressure.
blood sample
Noun collocation: a small amount of blood taken for medical analysis
The lab requested a blood sample to check for infection.
blood relation
Noun collocation: a person connected by a common ancestor
She is a close blood relation of the royal family.
blood test
Noun collocation: a medical examination of a blood sample
A simple blood test can reveal many health issues.
shed blood
Verb collocation: to kill or wound someone causing them to bleed
The treaty was signed to ensure that no more blood would be shed.
Etymology
Derived from Old English blōd, originating from a Proto-Germanic root blōþą, which is cognate with Old Norse blóð and Old High German bluot. The term has remained remarkably stable in meaning since its earliest recorded uses in Germanic languages, consistently referring to the vital fluid of the body.