Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
adjective
- discolored, as by bruising; exhibiting ecchymosis: a black-and-blue mark on my knee.
adjective
- (of the skin) discoloured, as from a bruise
- feeling pain or soreness, as from a beating
Badly bruised, as in That fall down the stairs left me black and blue all over. Even though multicolored bruises rarely include the color black, this term has been so used since about 1300.