bald

From Middle English bald, balde, belde, ballid, balled (“bald”), of uncertain origin. Probably formed from Middle English bal, balle (“ball, round object, knoll, head”). Compare with Old Danish bældet (“bald”), Gothic 𐌱𐌰𐌻𐌰- (bala-, “shining, grey (of body)”), Old English bǣl (“fire, flame; funeral pyre”), Albanian balë (“white spot on the forehead”) and ball (“forehead”).

• (UK) IPA^(key): /bɔːld/, [bɔːɫd]
• (US) IPA^(key): /bɔld/; (cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /bɑld/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔːld
• Homophone: balled

bald (comparative balder, superlative baldest)

1. Having no hair, fur or feathers.
   • 1922, Margery Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit

     The Skin Horse had lived longer in the nursery than any of the others. He was so old that his brown coat was bald in patches and showed the seams underneath, and most of the hairs in his tail had been pulled out to string bead necklaces.

   1. Having no hair on the head.

      a bald man with a moustache

2. (by extension) Denuded of any hair- or fur-like covering.

   The bald cypress is a tree that loses its leaves in winter.

3. Of tyres: whose surface is worn away.
4. (of a statement or account) Unembellished.
   • 1922, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Black Doctor

     Such is a bald statement of the singular and romantic series of events which centred public attention upon this Lancashire tragedy.

   • 1994, Route 9A Reconstruction Project, Battery Place to 59th St.:

     The NYSDOT, through the DSEIS, makes a bald assertion in the DSEIS, but does not explain in detail, why it feels that the Short Bypass Tunnel provides a more appropriate and respectful setting for the WTC Memorial.

   • 2006, João Ferreira Duarte, ‎Alexandra Assis Rosa, ‎& Teresa Seruya, Translation Studies at the Interface of Disciplines, →ISBN, page 115:

     Here the existential process (“there is”) functions as a bald assertion of fact, with no hedging or concessions to the observer's subjectivity, while the nominalization (“a significant role-reversal”) activates a pre-existing category from the discourse of Literary Criticism, into which the present "specimen" will be slotted.

5. (of a statement) Without evidence or support being provided.
   • 1891, The Australian law times - Volumes 12-13, page 61:

     The plaintiff in this case must satisfy the judge that she has visible means, the mere bald statement that she has visible means is not suflicient.

   • 2001, Canadian patent reporter, page 194:

     The question regarding this issue is whether the applicant raised sufficient doubts regarding adoption and use of the official mark by the respondent as to have the effect that the respondent's bald assertion is not enough to provide evidence that the official mark was adopted and used or whether a negative inference should be drawn from the failure of the respondent to provide further evidence.

   • 2005, Colin Tredoux, Psychology and Law, →ISBN, page 198:

     The Criminal Procedure Act of 1977 gives police officials the power and discretion to conduct identification procedures 'A bald statement that the accused is the person who committed the crime is not enough ... the greatest care should be taken to test the evidence.

   • 2010, World Trade Organization, Dispute Settlement Reports 2008: Volume 11, →ISBN, page 3959:

     The EC's bald assertion of compliance in the context of this scientific and factual landscape highlights the fact that it has made no effort to demonstrate how its new import ban satisfies the conditions of a "provisional" ban under Article 5.7 of the SPS Agreement or "rationally relates" to or is "reasonably supported" by a risk assessment for purposes of Article 5.1 of the SPS Agreement.

• (having hair): faxed, haired

bald (plural balds)

1. (Appalachia) A mountain summit or crest that lacks forest growth despite a warm climate conducive to such, as is found in many places in the Southern Appalachian Mountains.

bald (third-person singular simple present balds, present participle balding, simple past and past participle balded)

1. (intransitive) To become bald.

• callow
• nott
• Appalachian balds on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

• ABDL, DLAB, blad

From Middle High German balde, from Old High German baldo, adverb of bald, pald, from Proto-Germanic *balþaz, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel-. Cognate with Dutch boud, English bold.

• IPA^(key): /balt/

• audio (Austria)

  (file)

• Audio

  (file)

• Homophone: ballt

bald

1. soon, near in time

   Synonyms: demnächst, in Kürze, zeitnah

   Bald ist der Urlaub vorbei.

   The vacation will soon be over.

2. almost

   Synonyms: fast, beinahe

   Mit bald 80 Jahren ist mein Vater noch auf Apfelbäume geklettert.

   At almost 80 years, my father still used to climb on apple trees.

• alsbald
• bis bald
• in Bälde
• sobald

• -bold

• bald in Duden online

From German bald.

bald

1. soon

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɑld/, [ˈbɑɫd]

bald

1. Alternative form of beald

From Proto-Germanic *balþaz, whence also Old English bald, Old Norse ballr.

• IPA^(key): /bald/

bald

1. bold, quick

• baldī

• Joseph Wright, An Old High German Primer

From Proto-Germanic *balþaz, whence also Old English bald, Old Norse ballr.

bald (comparative baldoro, superlative baldost)

1. bold, fearless