English

Noun

smudge ‎(plural smudges)

1. A blemish; a smear.

   There was a smudge on the paper.

2. Dense smoke, such as that used for fumigation.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Grose to this entry?)

3. (US) A heap of damp combustibles partially ignited and burning slowly, placed on the windward side of a house, tent, etc. to keep off mosquitoes or other insects.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Bartlett to this entry?)

4. (paganism, chiefly in the phrase "smudge stick" = "stick of incense") A quantity of herbs used in suffumigation.
   • 2006, Christian Rätsch, ‎Claudia Müller-Ebeling, Pagan Christmas: The Plants, Spirits, and Rituals (ISBN 1594776601):

     Devil's dirt or asafetida ground together with fenugreek and black cumin seed is used as a smudge against witches and […]

Synonyms

• (blemish, smear): blur, smear, stain

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English smogen.

Verb

smudge ‎(third-person singular simple present smudges, present participle smudging, simple past and past participle smudged)

1. To obscure by blurring; to smear.
2. To soil or smear with dirt.
3. To use dense smoke to protect from insects.
4. To stifle or smother with smoke.
5. (paganism, intransitive) To burn herbs as a cleansing ritual (suffumigation).
6. (paganism, transitive) To subject to ritual burning of herbs (suffumigation, smudging).
   • 2013, Rachel Patterson, Pagan Portals - Hoodoo: Folk Magic (ISBN 1782790195):

     This is easily done using incense to smudge yourself or taking a cleansing bath. To smudge your body use an incense mixture such as sandalwood, lavender, frankincense or myrrh.

Synonyms

• (to obscure by blurring): blur, smear
• (to soil or smear with dirt): smutch, soil
• (to use smoke against insects): fumigate

Translations

Related terms

• smudgily
• smudginess
• smudgy

Anagrams

• degums