Blue blood
Meaning
A blue blood is a person who belongs to a noble, aristocratic, or upper-class family.
Origin
The phrase "blue blood" comes from medieval Spain, where the oldest and proudest Castilian families claimed to have pure Gothic ancestry, untainted by intermarriage with the Moors. They proudly pointed to the visible blue veins on their fair skin as proof of their pure, aristocratic lineage, in contrast to the darker complexions of those with Moorish blood, where veins would be less apparent. This concept of "sangre azul" (blue blood) quickly spread to other European nobilities, becoming a widely recognized symbol of ancient lineage and high social standing, suggesting that one's noble status ran literally in their veins.
Examples
- Even though he worked hard, his colleagues always seemed to treat him differently because they knew he was blue blood.
- The royal wedding brought together several prominent blue blood families from across Europe.