/ˈbliːt/
OriginFrom Middle English bleten, from Old English blǣtan (“to bleat”), from Proto-West Germanic *blātijan, from Proto-Germanic *blētijaną (“to bleat”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₁- (“to howl, cry, bleat”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- (“to make a loud noise”).
Cognate with Scots blete, bleit, West Frisian bâlte, blaaien, blêtsje (“to bleat”), Dutch blaten (“to bleat”), Low German bleten (“to bleat”), German blaßen, blässen (“to bleat”).
- The characteristic cry of a sheep or a goat.
- Of a sheep or goat, to make its characteristic cry of baas; of a human, to mimic this sound.
“In the year 1633, the Bridget Nuns, near Xanthus, behaved like sheep, jumping about and bleating continuously.”
Formsbleats(plural) · blate(alternative) · blait(alternative) · bleats(present, singular, third-person) · bleating(participle, present) · bleated(participle, past) · bleated(past)