What Is Blue Blood?

Question

Oops Sorry Wrong Section

Answer 1

Nobility


Blue blood is an English expression recorded since 1834 for noble birth or descent; it is a translation of the Spanish phrase sangre azul, which described the Spanish royal family and other high nobility who claimed to be 'pure', free of Moorish or Jewish blood. There is no connection between the phrase and the actual blood color of nobility; however, in the ancient agricultural societies of Europe the whole upper class had superficial veins that might be more visible and appear bluish by comparison to the rest of the pale-pinkish skin, as the skin itself was not tanned. In contrast with the working class of the time (mainly peasants), nobility and in general upper class people did not have to work outdoors, and mostly lived sheltered from the sun by dwellings and attire. The same contrast could be observed between untanned upper class Europeans - especially of northern stock whose skin tends to be less pigmented - and all social strata of Mediterranean populations with higher levels of genetically determined skin pigmentation. An alternative traditional explanation, argyria (a disease causing a blue-grey skin tone after digestion of silver), is considered less valid as table silverware was not massively and regularly used by much of the nobility.

Answer 2

“I was wondering about the origin of the phrase blue blood.”

[A] Unlike so many other expressions, this one is well documented.

It’s a direct translation of the Spanish sangre azul. Many of the oldest and proudest families of Castile used to boast that they were pure bred, having no link with the Moors who had for so long controlled the country, or indeed any other group. As a mark of this, they pointed to their veins, which seemed bluer in colour than those of such foreigners. This was simply because their blue-tinted veins showed up more prominently in their lighter skin, but they took it to be a mark of their pure breeding.

So the phrase blue blood came to refer to the blood which flowed in the veins of the oldest and most aristocratic families. The phrase was taken over into English in the 1830s. By the time Anthony Trollope used it in The Duke's Children in 1880, it had become common:

It is a point of conscience among the — perhaps not ten thousand, but say one thousand of bluest blood, — that everybody should know who everybody is. Our Duke, though he had not given his mind much to the pursuit, had nevertheless learned his lesson. It is a knowledge which the possession of the blue blood itself produces. There are countries with bluer blood than our own in which to be without such knowledge is a crime.

There you have it-one of many explanations!

Answer 3

Interesting isn't it? Blood looks blue through the skin. And then there is "true blue" and other slangy terms. Here's what wikipedia says:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobility

Excerpt:
Blue blood is an English expression recorded since 1834 for noble birth or descent; it is a translation of the Spanish phrase sangre azul, which described the Spanish royal family and other high nobility who claimed to be 'pure', free of Moorish or Jewish blood. There is no connection between the phrase and the actual blood color of nobility; however, in the ancient agricultural societies of Europe the whole upper class had superficial veins that might be more visible and appear bluish by comparison to the rest of the pale-pinkish skin, as the skin itself was not tanned. In contrast with the working class of the time (mainly peasants), nobility and in general upper class people did not have to work outdoors, and mostly lived sheltered from the sun by dwellings and attire. The same contrast could be observed between untanned upper class Europeans - especially of northern stock whose skin tends to be less pigmented - and all social strata of Mediterranean populations with higher levels of genetically determined skin pigmentation. An alternative traditional explanation, argyria (a disease causing a blue-grey skin tone after digestion of silver), is considered less valid as table silverware was not massively and regularly used by much of the nobility.

The same expression is encountered in several European languages:

Bulgarian синя кръв (sinya krăv)
Czech modrá krev
Croatian plava krv
Danish blåt blod
French sang bleu
Dutch blauw bloed
German blaues Blut
Greek γαλαζοαίματος (galazoaímatos)
Hungarian kékvérű
Italian sangue blu
Lithuanian mėlynas kraujas
Norwegian blått blod or blåblodig
Polish błękitna krew
Portuguese sangue azul
Romanian sange albastru
Russian голубая кровь (golubaya krov’)
Serbian плава крв (plava krv)
Slovenian modra kri
Spanish sangre azul
Swedish blått blod


peace!

Answer 4

The concept of blue blood came from the mix of the blood of the same families. The European aristocracy and the kings marry in a lot of cases the cousins from another countries. This ended in the degradation of the blood and the inability of the blood to coagulate. The King Juan Carlos of Spain suffer this condition.

Answer 5

It’s a direct translation of the Spanish sangre azul. Many of the oldest and proudest families of Castile used to boast that they were pure bred, having no link with the Moors who had for so long controlled the country, or indeed any other group. As a mark of this, they pointed to their veins, which seemed bluer in colour than those of such foreigners. This was simply because their blue-tinted veins showed up more prominently in their lighter skin, but they took it to be a mark of their pure breeding.

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Answer 6

The term 'Blue Blood' refers to someone of Higher class, that is royalty or aristocracy. Nowadays there would be very few people who could claim such a description as few of the old aristocratic of rayol bloodlines still exist, or if they do they have long since been 'watered-down' through the need to marry outside of their social circle.

Answer 7

Blood without oxygen...its not really blue per se more of a really dark purplish red that appears blue in the veins returning to the heart and lungs.

Answer 8

blue blood definition
n.
1. Noble or aristocratic descent.
2. A member of the aristocracy.

Answer 9

With regard to a person, it usually means that person has some sort of "pedigree", perhaps they are descended from famous people or their family ancestry can be traced back to the gentry or to founding fathers (in the US), etc.

Answer 10

Some one who is of royalty and it is also the color of our blood before oxygen hits it