blank (English)

Where does "blank" come from?

The English adjective 'blank' traces back to Proto-Indo-European '*bʰleyǵ-', meaning 'to shine'[1]. This developed into the Proto-Germanic adjective '*blankaz', meaning 'white, bright, blinding'[1][2]. The word entered Romance via Frankish '*blank', surfacing in Medieval Latin as 'blancus' and in Old French as 'blanc'[1][2][5]. English borrowed it from Anglo-Norman and Middle English 'blank'[1], shifting in sense from visual brightness and whiteness to an empty surface lacking marks or writing.

Open questions

Proto-Germanic '*blankaz' may not derive directly from '*bʰleyǵ-', but could instead be an alternative formation from Pre-Germanic '*bʰlongós' based on the root '*bʰel-', meaning 'to blaze or burn'. [3] [4] [5]
The Proto-Indo-European root '*bʰleyǵ-' is itself thought to be an extension of the simpler root '*bʰel-', meaning 'shiny'. [4]

Full etymology tree

blank (English), 'White or pale; without colour.'
- inherited blank (Middle English)
  - borrowed blonc (Anglo-Norman)
    - inherited blanc (Old French), 'white'
      - borrowed *blank (Frankish)
        inherited *blankaz (Proto-Germanic), 'bright, shining, white, gleaming, blinding'
      - borrowed blancus (Latin), 'white'
        borrowed *blank (Frankish)
        inherited *blankaz (Proto-Germanic), 'bright, shining, white, gleaming, blinding'

Ancestors

*bʰleyǵ- (Proto-Indo-European)
blanc (Old French)
*blankaz (Proto-Germanic)

Cognates and doublets

blanc (English)
blank (German)
blanc (Old English)
blanco (Spanish)

Sources

Updated September 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris