Ma'anar ƙamus na "blackening" shine tsarin yin wani abu mai launin baki ko duhu. Ana iya yin haka ta hanyar shafa wani abu kamar fenti, rini, ko zomo a saman abin. Kalmar kuma tana iya komawa ga dabarun dafa abinci, inda ake shafa abinci a cikin cakuda kayan yaji sannan a tsoma shi a cikin tukunyar zafi don ƙirƙirar ɓawon duhu mai ɗanɗano. Hakanan ana iya amfani da kalmar “blackening” a misaltacciya don kwatanta yanayin da wani abu ya lalace ko kuma a tozarta shi, kamar yadda a cikin jumlar “abin kunya ya bata masa suna.”