The word was reintroduced into English in the 17th century from French, and was for some time considered French in French, blonde is a feminine adjective it describes a woman with blond hair. Most authorities, especially French, attest to the Frankish origin. However, linguists who favor a Latin origin for the word say that Medieval Latin blundus was a vulgar pronunciation of Latin flavus, also meaning 'yellow'. Also, Old English beblonden meant 'dyed', as ancient Germanic warriors were noted for dyeing their hair. Some linguists say it comes from Medieval Latin blundus, meaning 'yellow', from Old Frankish blund which would relate it to Old English blonden-feax meaning 'grey-haired', from blondan/ blandan meaning 'to mix' (compare: blend). This earlier use of fair survives in the proper name Fairfax, from Old English fæġer-feahs meaning 'blond hair'. It gradually eclipsed the native term fair, of same meaning, from Old English fæġer, causing fair later to become a general term for 'light complexioned'. The word blond is first documented in English in 1481 and derives from Old French blund, blont, meaning 'a colour midway between golden and light chestnut'. 1644), with characteristic blond hair which darkened with time as confirmed by his later effigies. In contemporary Western culture, blonde women are often stereotyped as beautiful, but unintelligent.Įtymology, spelling, and grammar Detail of a portrait of Sigismund Casimir Vasa ( c. The Norse goddess Sif and the medieval heroine Iseult were both significantly portrayed as blonde and, in medieval artwork, Eve, Mary Magdalene, and the Virgin Mary are often shown with blonde hair. In western Europe during the Middle Ages, long, blonde hair was idealized as the paragon of female beauty. In the ancient Greek world, Homer's Iliad presented Achilles as what was then the ideal male warrior: handsome, tall, strong, and blond. The Greeks stereotyped Thracians and slaves as blond and the Romans associated blondness with the Celts and the Germans to the north. In ancient Greece and Rome, blonde hair was frequently associated with prostitutes, who dyed their hair using saffron dyes in order to attract customers. Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty, was described as having blonde hair. In Western culture, blonde hair has long been associated with beauty and vitality. Blond hair has also developed in other populations, although it is usually not as common, and can be found among natives of the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Fiji, among the Berbers of North Africa, and among some Asians. Naturally-occurring blond hair is primarily found in people living in or descended from people who lived in the northern half of Europe, and may have evolved alongside the development of light skin that enables more efficient synthesis of vitamin D, due to northern Europe's lower levels of sunlight. īecause hair color tends to darken with age, natural blond hair is significantly less common in adulthood. Occasionally, the state of being blond, and specifically the occurrence of blond traits in a predominantly dark or colored population are referred to as blondism. The color can be from the very pale blond (caused by a patchy, scarce distribution of pigment) to reddish "strawberry" blond or golden-brownish ("sandy") blond colors (the latter with more eumelanin). The resultant visible hue depends on various factors, but always has some yellowish color. For other uses, see Blond (disambiguation) and Blonde (disambiguation).įootballer Lars Unnerstall, who has blond hair and a blond beardīlond ( MASC) or blonde ( FEM), also referred to as fair hair, is a human hair color characterized by low levels of the dark pigment eumelanin.
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