Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

blate

/bleɪt/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables
blate
IPA
/bleɪt/
7
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
1
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Dull, stupid.

verb

Archaic form of bleat.

Archaic

Example Sentences

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.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: blat, *blait, *blaitaz, *bʰleyd-, bleth, blēaþ

Usage

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce blate?
The recorded pronunciation is /bleɪt/.
What does blate mean?
Bashful, sheepish.
Where does blate come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce blate

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “blate”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/bleɪt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “blate”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “blate” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.