"blate" meaning in English

See blate in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Adjective

IPA: /bleɪt/ Audio: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-blate.wav Forms: blater [comparative], blatest [superlative]
Rhymes: -eɪt Etymology: Borrowed from Scots blate (“timid, sheepish”), apparently a conflation of: * Northern Middle English *blate, *blait (“pale, ghastly, terrified”), from Old English blāt (“pale, livid, ghastly”), from Proto-West Germanic *blait (“pale, discoloured”), from Proto-Germanic *blaitaz, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰleyd- (“pale, pallid”); * Middle English bleth, bleath (“timid, soft”), from Old English blēaþ (“gentle, shy, cowardly, timid; slothful, inactive, effeminate”), from Proto-Germanic *blauþuz (“weak, timid, void, naked”). Cognate with German blassen (“to make pale”), bleich (“pale, pallid”). More at bleak, bleach. Etymology templates: {{bor+|en|sco|blate|t=timid, sheepish}} Borrowed from Scots blate (“timid, sheepish”), {{der|en|enm||*blate}} Middle English *blate, {{der|en|ang|blat|blāt|pale, livid, ghastly}} Old English blāt (“pale, livid, ghastly”), {{der|en|gmw-pro|*blait|t=pale, discoloured}} Proto-West Germanic *blait (“pale, discoloured”), {{der|en|gem-pro|*blaitaz}} Proto-Germanic *blaitaz, {{der|en|ine-pro|*bʰleyd-|t=pale, pallid}} Proto-Indo-European *bʰleyd- (“pale, pallid”), {{der|en|enm|bleth}} Middle English bleth, {{der|en|ang|blēaþ|t=gentle, shy, cowardly, timid; slothful, inactive, effeminate}} Old English blēaþ (“gentle, shy, cowardly, timid; slothful, inactive, effeminate”), {{der|en|gem-pro|*blauþuz|t=weak, timid, void, naked}} Proto-Germanic *blauþuz (“weak, timid, void, naked”), {{cog|de|blassen|t=to make pale}} German blassen (“to make pale”) Head templates: {{en-adj|er}} blate (comparative blater, superlative blatest)
  1. (Scotland, Northern England) Bashful, sheepish. Tags: Northern-England, Scotland
    Sense id: en-blate-en-adj-ab7lFZCJ Categories (other): Northern England English, Scottish English, English entries with incorrect language header Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 48 45 6
  2. (Scotland, Northern England) Dull, stupid. Tags: Northern-England, Scotland
    Sense id: en-blate-en-adj-nTpJMkN1 Categories (other): Northern England English, Scottish English, English entries with incorrect language header Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 48 45 6
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Derived forms: blateness
Etymology number: 1

Verb

IPA: /bleɪt/ Audio: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-blate.wav Forms: blates [present, singular, third-person], blating [participle, present], blated [participle, past], blated [past]
Rhymes: -eɪt Head templates: {{en-verb}} blate (third-person singular simple present blates, present participle blating, simple past and past participle blated)
  1. Archaic form of bleat. Tags: alt-of, archaic Alternative form of: bleat Related terms: blatant
    Sense id: en-blate-en-verb-bjheMBQx
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Etymology number: 2

Inflected forms

{
  "derived": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "blateness"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_number": 1,
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "sco",
        "3": "blate",
        "t": "timid, sheepish"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Scots blate (“timid, sheepish”)",
      "name": "bor+"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "",
        "4": "*blate"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English *blate",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "blat",
        "4": "blāt",
        "5": "pale, livid, ghastly"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English blāt (“pale, livid, ghastly”)",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*blait",
        "t": "pale, discoloured"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *blait (“pale, discoloured”)",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*blaitaz"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *blaitaz",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*bʰleyd-",
        "t": "pale, pallid"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *bʰleyd- (“pale, pallid”)",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "bleth"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English bleth",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "blēaþ",
        "t": "gentle, shy, cowardly, timid; slothful, inactive, effeminate"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English blēaþ (“gentle, shy, cowardly, timid; slothful, inactive, effeminate”)",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*blauþuz",
        "t": "weak, timid, void, naked"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *blauþuz (“weak, timid, void, naked”)",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "blassen",
        "t": "to make pale"
      },
      "expansion": "German blassen (“to make pale”)",
      "name": "cog"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Borrowed from Scots blate (“timid, sheepish”), apparently a conflation of:\n* Northern Middle English *blate, *blait (“pale, ghastly, terrified”), from Old English blāt (“pale, livid, ghastly”), from Proto-West Germanic *blait (“pale, discoloured”), from Proto-Germanic *blaitaz, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰleyd- (“pale, pallid”);\n* Middle English bleth, bleath (“timid, soft”), from Old English blēaþ (“gentle, shy, cowardly, timid; slothful, inactive, effeminate”), from Proto-Germanic *blauþuz (“weak, timid, void, naked”).\nCognate with German blassen (“to make pale”), bleich (“pale, pallid”). More at bleak, bleach.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "blater",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "blatest",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "er"
      },
      "expansion": "blate (comparative blater, superlative blatest)",
      "name": "en-adj"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Northern England English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
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          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Scottish English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "48 45 6",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              85,
              90
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1934, Lewis Grassic Gibbon, Grey Granite (A Scots Quair), Polygon, published 2006, page 491:",
          "text": "You'd say Not them; fine legs, and Ma struggling into her blouse would say You're no blate. Who told you they're fine?",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Bashful, sheepish."
      ],
      "id": "en-blate-en-adj-ab7lFZCJ",
      "links": [
        [
          "Bashful",
          "bashful"
        ],
        [
          "sheepish",
          "sheepish"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(Scotland, Northern England) Bashful, sheepish."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Northern-England",
        "Scotland"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Northern England English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
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          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Scottish English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "48 45 6",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Dull, stupid."
      ],
      "id": "en-blate-en-adj-nTpJMkN1",
      "links": [
        [
          "Dull",
          "dull"
        ],
        [
          "stupid",
          "stupid"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(Scotland, Northern England) Dull, stupid."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Northern-England",
        "Scotland"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/bleɪt/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-blate.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/f/fd/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-blate.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-blate.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/f/fd/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-blate.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-blate.wav.ogg"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-eɪt"
    }
  ],
  "word": "blate"
}

{
  "etymology_number": 2,
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "blates",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "blating",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "blated",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "blated",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "blate (third-person singular simple present blates, present participle blating, simple past and past participle blated)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "word": "bleat"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              117,
              124
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1851, William Maxwell, The Virginia Historical Register, and Literary Note Book:",
          "text": "Away they fly, like a party of Indians after buffaloes; while along the road, it may be, cattle are bellowing, sheep blating, dogs barking, hens cackling, and crows cawing.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Archaic form of bleat."
      ],
      "id": "en-blate-en-verb-bjheMBQx",
      "links": [
        [
          "bleat",
          "bleat#English"
        ]
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "blatant"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "archaic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/bleɪt/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-blate.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/f/fd/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-blate.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-blate.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/f/fd/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-blate.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-blate.wav.ogg"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-eɪt"
    }
  ],
  "word": "blate"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English adjectives",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English terms borrowed from Scots",
    "English terms derived from Scots",
    "English terms with /eɪ/ for Middle English /ɛː/",
    "English verbs",
    "Pages with 3 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Rhymes:English/eɪt",
    "Rhymes:English/eɪt/1 syllable"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "blateness"
    }
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  "etymology_number": 1,
  "etymology_templates": [
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "sco",
        "3": "blate",
        "t": "timid, sheepish"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Scots blate (“timid, sheepish”)",
      "name": "bor+"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "",
        "4": "*blate"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English *blate",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "blat",
        "4": "blāt",
        "5": "pale, livid, ghastly"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English blāt (“pale, livid, ghastly”)",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*blait",
        "t": "pale, discoloured"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *blait (“pale, discoloured”)",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*blaitaz"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *blaitaz",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*bʰleyd-",
        "t": "pale, pallid"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *bʰleyd- (“pale, pallid”)",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "bleth"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English bleth",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "blēaþ",
        "t": "gentle, shy, cowardly, timid; slothful, inactive, effeminate"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English blēaþ (“gentle, shy, cowardly, timid; slothful, inactive, effeminate”)",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*blauþuz",
        "t": "weak, timid, void, naked"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *blauþuz (“weak, timid, void, naked”)",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "blassen",
        "t": "to make pale"
      },
      "expansion": "German blassen (“to make pale”)",
      "name": "cog"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Borrowed from Scots blate (“timid, sheepish”), apparently a conflation of:\n* Northern Middle English *blate, *blait (“pale, ghastly, terrified”), from Old English blāt (“pale, livid, ghastly”), from Proto-West Germanic *blait (“pale, discoloured”), from Proto-Germanic *blaitaz, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰleyd- (“pale, pallid”);\n* Middle English bleth, bleath (“timid, soft”), from Old English blēaþ (“gentle, shy, cowardly, timid; slothful, inactive, effeminate”), from Proto-Germanic *blauþuz (“weak, timid, void, naked”).\nCognate with German blassen (“to make pale”), bleich (“pale, pallid”). More at bleak, bleach.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "blater",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "blatest",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "er"
      },
      "expansion": "blate (comparative blater, superlative blatest)",
      "name": "en-adj"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Northern England English",
        "Scottish English"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              85,
              90
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1934, Lewis Grassic Gibbon, Grey Granite (A Scots Quair), Polygon, published 2006, page 491:",
          "text": "You'd say Not them; fine legs, and Ma struggling into her blouse would say You're no blate. Who told you they're fine?",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Bashful, sheepish."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Bashful",
          "bashful"
        ],
        [
          "sheepish",
          "sheepish"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(Scotland, Northern England) Bashful, sheepish."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Northern-England",
        "Scotland"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "Northern England English",
        "Scottish English"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Dull, stupid."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Dull",
          "dull"
        ],
        [
          "stupid",
          "stupid"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(Scotland, Northern England) Dull, stupid."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Northern-England",
        "Scotland"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/bleɪt/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-blate.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/f/fd/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-blate.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-blate.wav.mp3",
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    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-eɪt"
    }
  ],
  "word": "blate"
}

{
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    "English lemmas",
    "English terms with /eɪ/ for Middle English /ɛː/",
    "English verbs",
    "Pages with 3 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Rhymes:English/eɪt",
    "Rhymes:English/eɪt/1 syllable"
  ],
  "etymology_number": 2,
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "blates",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "blating",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "blated",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "blated",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
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  "head_templates": [
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  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "blatant"
    }
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        {
          "word": "bleat"
        }
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        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              117,
              124
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1851, William Maxwell, The Virginia Historical Register, and Literary Note Book:",
          "text": "Away they fly, like a party of Indians after buffaloes; while along the road, it may be, cattle are bellowing, sheep blating, dogs barking, hens cackling, and crows cawing.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Archaic form of bleat."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "bleat",
          "bleat#English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "archaic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/bleɪt/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-blate.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/f/fd/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-blate.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-blate.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/f/fd/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-blate.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-blate.wav.ogg"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-eɪt"
    }
  ],
  "word": "blate"
}

Download raw JSONL data for blate meaning in English (5.9kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-04-13 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-04-03 using wiktextract (aeaf2a1 and fb63907). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.