blända

Blända is a Swedish verb meaning to dazzle or temporarily blind someone by a bright light or glare. The act described by the verb is typically a sudden, short-lasting impairment of vision caused by strong light, such as sunlight, car headlights, or reflective surfaces. It can be used transitively, as in Ljuset bländade honom (The light blinded him), and it may also appear in passive constructions.

In addition to the verb, related forms include bländning (the act of dazzling or the glare a light source produces) and bländare (the aperture of a camera lens, a term used in photography to control light intake). The term bländning is commonly used in everyday language to describe glare that reduces visibility, for example in traffic safety discussions about oncoming headlights.

Etymology traces blända to Swedish linguistic roots connected with other Germanic languages’ words for blind or dazzle. The core sense involves affecting sight through intense brightness, rather than causing permanent eye damage.

Usage notes note that blända primarily conveys temporary impairment and is usually associated with bright, abrupt light. Figurative uses exist but are less common, sometimes describing overwhelming astonishment or admiration in literary contexts.

See also: bländning, bländare, glare-related terms in optics and traffic safety. For broader context on related phenomena, references to light glare and visual impairment in daily language may be consulted.