Blench
/blɛntʃ/noun
To flinch, hesitate, or draw back, especially from fear or surprise.
Did you know?The word is historically tied to Old English and Middle English forms meaning to turn pale or swerve, and it survives today mostly in the older sense “to flinch,” not the color-shifted one.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
blencan
“to deceive, delude; later associated with flinching or tricking”
Middle English
ME
blenchen
“to blench, flinch, start back, or turn aside”
14th Century
Anglo-French
blenchir
“to turn aside, flinch; also to blanch or turn pale”
Modern English
English
blench
“to flinch, recoil, or show hesitation”