An aphetic form of ‘abiliment’ which derives from French ‘habillement’ and was used in the sixteenth century for ornamental articles of a woman’s attire, especially those round the head and neck.
It is best known as a term in hedging, where a ‘binder’ was a pliable branch or rod, usually of hazel, one which served to secure the wooden fence stakes.
In the singular the word ‘blending’ had several related meanings in the textile industry, all connected with the mixing of wool. In agriculture it was used in the plural, for peas and beans grown together as food for cattle.
Commonly used in phrases such as ‘a blind corner’ and found frequently in minor place-names in reference to something out of the way or difficult to see.
Early references to the English word are rare but in Latin texts garments and fabrics more generally were often described as having the colour of blood especially in early wills.
In early iron forge accounts ‘bloom’ was the word for the iron that was produced in a bloomer hearth, a primitive furnace; a mass of relatively pure malleable iron which had received its first hammering.