blate

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See also: blátě

English

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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Borrowed from Scots blate (timid, sheepish), apparently a conflation of:

Cognate with German blassen (to make pale), bleich (pale, pallid). More at bleak, bleach.

Adjective

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blate (comparative blater, superlative blatest)

  1. (Scotland, Northern England) Bashful, sheepish.
    • 1934, Lewis Grassic Gibbon, Grey Granite (A Scots Quair), Polygon, published 2006, page 491:
      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?
  2. (Scotland, Northern England) Dull, stupid.
Derived terms
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Etymology 2

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Verb

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blate (third-person singular simple present blates, present participle blating, simple past and past participle blated)

  1. Archaic form of bleat.
    • 1851, William Maxwell, The Virginia Historical Register, and Literary Note Book:
      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.
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Anagrams

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Dutch

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Verb

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blate

  1. (dated or formal) singular present subjunctive of blaten

Anagrams

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Scots

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Etymology

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Uncertain; perhaps from Old English blāt (pale).

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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blate (comparative blater, superlative blatest)

  1. shy, modest, timid, sheepish
    • 1786, Robert Burns, A Bard's Epitaph:
      Is there a whim-inspired fool, / Owre fast for thought, owre hot for rule, / Owre blate to seek, owre proud to snool, / Let him draw near / And owre this grassy heap sing dool, / And drap a tear.
      Is there a whim-inspired fool, / Too fast for thought, too hot for rule, / Too shy to seek, too proud to submit, / Let him draw near / And over this grassy heap make lament, / And drop a tear.
  2. stupid, easily deceived, dull, unpromising