Definitions
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Pale; ghastly.
- Dull; spiritless; stupid.
- Blunt; curt.
- Bashful; diffident.
- Naked; bare.
- To babble or prate about.
Wiktionary
GNU Webster's 1913
- v. to of sheep, goats, or calves.
- adj. bashful; timid; sheepish; -- chiefly Scottish.
WordNet 3.0
- v. cry plaintively
- adj. disposed to avoid notice
Etymologies
- 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-Germanic *blaitaz (“pale, discoloured”), from Proto-Indo-European *bhlAid- (“pale, pallid”) and Middle English bleth, bleath ("timid, soft"), from Old English blēaþ ("gentle, shy, cowardly, timid; slothful, inactive, effeminate"), from Proto-Germanic *blauþaz (“weak, timid, void, naked”). Cognate with German blassen ("to make pale"), bleich ("pale, pallid"). More at bleak, bleach. (Wiktionary)
Examples
“But at no time was the genial little poet "blate," as he would himself have said.”
““By my saul, Steenie, ye are not blate, to say so!” said the king.”
“Wull grips the banners well (that boy isna blate).”
“But, blate [22] an 'laithfu', [23] scarce can weel behave;”
“He will be a little blate for such a namely man," said Margaret, but I could see there was a glow of pleasure over her.”
“You're too blate, Colin," he said, and then he put his arm through his wife's and gave her a squeeze to take her into his joke.”
John Splendid The Tale of a Poor Gentleman, and the Little Wars of Lorn
“But blate [323-29] and laithfu ', [323-30] scarce can weel behave;”
“Faith, and you are _not_ blate," said she whimsically, but indifferent to remove herself from a grasp so innocent.”
“I like you little over-blate, Gilian, but I like you less over-bold.”
“That's not so blate, John Hielan'man!" said she again to herself.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘blate’.
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Dr. Jamieson on Human Nature
Unflattering Scots terms and nicknames for people and their perceived or imagined foibles, follies, and failings. Gleaned from Dr. Jamieson's Scottish Dictionary and Supplement, 1841.
abbey-laird, donnat, donsie, doncie, braw-warld, falsar, gileynour, gilainger, gillet, gillflirt, gy, haniel and 105 more...
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Activated Phonemes
This list was generated by first taking a letter from the alphabet, or any of the initial cluster set of phonesthemes compiled by the ingenious Benjamin Shisler) and then sticking one of the suffix...
bing, ding, ging, jing, ling, ming, king, ping, ring, sing, ting, wing and 189 more...
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Adjectival Arcana
A roster of adjectives that infrequently surface in typical conversation and writing. Many are dredged from scientific or other technical jargon or sieved from examples of disused archaic forms.
unitegmic, acaulescent, reticuloendothelial, ingressive, uniate, acanthopterygian, ossific, epiphysial, perivisceral, acœlomatous, cestoid, acælomate and 7756 more...
Tweets
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