bland

See also: Bland and blând

English

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /blænd/
  • Rhymes: -ænd
  • Audio (CA)(file)

Etymology 1

From Middle English blanden, blonden, from Old English blandan (“to blend, mix, mingle; trouble, disturb, corrupt”), from Proto-Germanic *blandaną (“to mix, blend”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰlendʰ- (“to grow turbid, dim, see badly, be blind”). Cognate with Danish and Norwegian blande, Swedish blanda (“to mix, mingle, shuffle, blend”), Icelandic blanda (“to mix”). See also blend.

Verb

bland (third-person singular simple present blands, present participle blanding, simple past and past participle blanded)

  1. (transitive, Britain dialectal) To mix; blend; mingle.
  2. (transitive, Britain dialectal) To connect; associate.

Etymology 2

From Middle English bland, from Old English bland, blond (“blending, mixture, confusion”), from Proto-Germanic *blandą (“a mixing, mixture”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰlendʰ- (“to grow turbid, dim, see badly, be blind”). Cognate with Icelandic blanda (“a mixture of liquids, especially of hot whey and water”).

Alternative forms
  • blaind, blaund (Scotland)

Noun

bland (plural blands)

  1. (Britain dialectal) Mixture; union.
  2. A summer beverage prepared from the whey of churned milk, common among the inhabitants of the Shetland Islands.
Derived terms
  • in bland

Etymology 3

Borrowed from Latin blandus (“pleasant, flattering”).

Adjective

bland (comparative blander, superlative blandest)

  1. (now rare) Mild; soft, gentle, balmy; smooth in manner; suave.
    • 1818, John Keats, Sonnet:
      Where didst thou find, young Bard, thy sounding lyre? / Where the bland accent, and the tender tone?
    • 1907, Robert William Chambers, chapter IX, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, OCLC 24962326:
      “A tight little craft,” was Austin’s invariable comment on the matron; […]. ¶ Near her wandered her husband, orientally bland, invariably affable, and from time to time squinting sideways, as usual, in the ever-renewed expectation that he might catch a glimpse of his stiff, retroussé moustache.
  2. Having a soothing effect; not irritating or stimulating.
    a bland oil;  a bland diet
  3. Lacking in taste, flavor, or vigor.
    The coffee was bland.  The judge found the defense's case to be bland.
  4. lacking interest; boring; dull
Derived terms
Translations

References
  • bland in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

Danish

Verb

bland

  1. imperative of blande

German

Etymology

From Latin blandus.

Pronunciation
  • Audio(file)

Adjective

bland (not comparable)

  1. (medicine) bland

Declension
Declension of bland
number & gender singular plural
masculine feminine neuter all genders
predicative er ist bland sie ist bland es ist bland sie sind bland
strong declension
(without article)		 nominative blander blande blandes blande
genitive blanden blander blanden blander
dative blandem blander blandem blanden
accusative blanden blande blandes blande
weak declension
(with definite article)		 nominative der blande die blande das blande die blanden
genitive des blanden der blanden des blanden der blanden
dative dem blanden der blanden dem blanden den blanden
accusative den blanden die blande das blande die blanden
mixed declension
(with indefinite article)		 nominative ein blander eine blande ein blandes (keine) blanden
genitive eines blanden einer blanden eines blanden (keiner) blanden
dative einem blanden einer blanden einem blanden (keinen) blanden
accusative einen blanden eine blande ein blandes (keine) blanden

Further reading

Icelandic

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /plant/
  • Rhymes: -ant

Noun

bland n (genitive singular blands, no plural)

  1. mix

Declension
declension of bland
n-s singular
indefinite definite
nominative bland blandið
accusative bland blandið
dative blandi blandinu
genitive blands blandsins

Derived terms

Norwegian Bokmål

Verb

bland

  1. imperative of blande

Norwegian Nynorsk

Verb

bland

  1. imperative of blande

Swedish

Pronunciation
  • audio(file)

Preposition

bland

  1. among
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