a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Psalms cv. 30 And Fynees stod, and pleside; and the brosing [L. quassatio] ceside.

c1425 Bk. Found. St. Bartholomew's (1923) 37 (MED) This wrecche..yn wepynge & sighynge..and brosynge drayf forth many dayes.

?a1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (N.Y. Acad. Med.) f. 166^v (MED) Of contricioun i. brissing or betyng.

1528 T. Paynell tr. Arnaldus de Villa Nova in Joannes de Mediolano Regimen Sanitatis Salerni sig. L.iij Rue, whose leaues holle without any brusynge, shulde be put in to the drynke.

1640 J. Parkinson Theatrum Botanicum 767 The juyce is so slimie that it will never make a good syrrupe as it ought to be, unlesse that after the brusing of the herbe it be set in a celler or cold place before the juyce be pressed.

1686 in 14th Vol. Wren Soc. (1937) 4 Bruising of old Alabaster in a Mortar to make Cyment.

1707 H. Sloane Voy. Islands I. 10 In France they suffer the Husks or Skin, and Juice of the Grapes to lie longer or shorter time in the Cuve together after bruising, according to the Stipticity or Tincture they desire.

a1762 W. McEwen Select Set of Ess. (1767) II. 248 It [sc. meditation] may be compared to the bruising of sweet spices, which makes them spread abroad their odour.

1802 Monthly Epitome Oct. 589/1 The making of cyder, for example; the bruising of apples in the mill, the squeezing of them when so bruised in the press [etc.].

1875 R. Hunt & F. W. Rudler Ure's Dict. Arts (ed. 7) II. 415 The operation consists of two processes: first the bruising of the stems; and secondly, the beating away of the woody parts from the fibre.

1932 ‘L. G. Gibbon’ Sunset Song iv. 224 He stopped his trade with Long Rob and he carted his corn for crushing and bruising over to the mill at Mondynes.

1952 A. Norton Daybreak—2250 A.D. xiii. 125 A stone hollowed for the grinding and bruising of herbs used in medicines, its pestle lying across it.

2013 A. Ricker Pok Pok 28/1 The lightness of the wood or clay pestle is essential for this type of gentle bruising.

1572 L. Mascall tr. in Bk. Plant & Graffe Trees 78 The last braunche, sheweth howe to binde him on, in sauing the oylet or eye from brusing.

1613 G. Markham Eng. Husbandman: 1st Pt. ii. ix. 79 If it [sc. climbing the tree with a ladder] be neuer so little indiscreetly handled, it as much hazardeth the breaking and bruising both of the fruit and the small cyons, as either climbing the tree, or any other way whatsoeuer.

1691 J. Evelyn Kalendarium Hortense (ed. 8) 120 To prevent bruising by Wind-falls..lay some sweet Straw under your Fruit-Trees.

1746 W. Ellis Agric. Improv'd I. May xi. 52 The Bruising of the green Stalks by the Weeders Feet checks the free Ascent of the Sap.

1771 A. Young Farmer's Tour E. Eng. II. 513 The elasticity of the bristles prevents stoppage or, bruising of the grain.

1852 New Eng. Farmer Apr. 195/2 Whenever an injury takes place by bruising, although it be but an indentation by the thumb, there decay surely and soonest ensues.

1896 Agric. Gaz. New South Wales 6 555 Gather the fruit carefully, avoiding all bruising, as a bruised fruit is a spoilt fruit.

1906 Barrel & Box July 36/2 To avoid the bruising of apples.., some packers have stored fruit without heading the barrels at all.

1974 Northwest Arkansas Times 15 Feb. 6 Bruising causes almost immediate decay of bananas, tomatoes, apples, avocados, berries, and all other soft fruits.

2004 K. N. Sanecki Discovering Herbs (ed. 7) 53 Break up the bulb into individual cloves, and handle them carefully to avoid bruising.

1757 Du Plessis's Mem. II. xxiii. 169 Had it not been for the Interposition of a noble Lord and his Lady, that came thither to furnish themselves and us with reciprocal Occasions for Laughter, the Comedy would have been converted into a Bruising-Match.

1879 Scotsman 26 Dec. 6/5 These glove fights, which differ little from a pure ‘bruising-match’.

1920 Our Navy (U.S.) Aug. 44/3 Such an event is nothing more than a rough house bruising match.

1956 ‘M. Innes’ Old Hall, New Hall vi. 153 It was poor Edward that would take the knock, did it come to a bruising-match.

1585 J. Banister Wecker's Compend. Chyrurg. ii. 263 If it be brusingwise doone, we call it a contused wounde, or Ecchymosis.

2011 ABC Premium News (Australia) (Nexis) 11 July There's obviously something there bruising-wise, so he needs to be comfortable training on Wednesday and pull up okay on Thursday before we know for sure.

1823 ‘Nimrod’ in Sporting Mag. June 121/1 Sir Grey was never what is called a bruising rider—that is to say, he is not one of those who will go with a fall, rather than not go at all.

1843 ‘Nimrod’ Hunting Reminisc. v. 169 I cannot speak of his riding, but I believe he is one of the bruising sort.

1872 G. A. Lawrence Anteros (U.S. ed.) xvi. 142 A fair, though by no means bruising rider to hounds.

1944 G. Heyer Friday's Child xvii. 196 The Viscount was a bruising rider to hounds, and the hunting-season was in full swing.

2011 R. Scott Honorable Gentleman v. 62 The squire and his son are bruising riders, too. I'm sure they wouldn't mind you jumping a few fences.