Where did the Phrase ‘Blue Blood’ Come from and What does it Mean?

Blue blood means belonging to a royal family or noble lineage. It may also refer to a member of a wealthy, upper-class family, or ancestry.

It is believed that this term refers to the blue veins seen through the fair skin. People of upper-class families, who had never stepped outside to work, had light pale skin through which their veins appeared blue.

Thus, the term blueblood signified a person’s wealthy or noble family who didn’t need to work for a living.

For example —

“The new senator is a blue blood, so of course, he doesn’t understand the plight of the poor.”

It means the senator comes from a wealthy family which is cut off from the ground reality. Therefore, he has no idea of the conditions in which poor people live.

I hope you found this story interesting. If you did, buy my full course on Udemy or watch it for free on Skillshare by signing up here. This course covers nearly 380 idioms with their origins and backstories.

Hi, I am Gauri Shanker, a Vocab teacher and enthusiast. I teach vocabulary in a fun and engaging way. You can check out my courses here.