blot

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See also: Appendix:Variations of "blot"

English

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Etymology

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From Middle English blot (“blot, spot, stain, blemish”). Perhaps from Old Norse *blettr (“blot, stain”) (only attested in documents from after Old Norse transitioned to Icelandic blettur), or from Old French bloche (“clod of earth”).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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blot (plural blots)

  1. A blemish, spot or stain made by a coloured substance.
    • 1595 December 9 (first known performance), William Shakespeare, “The life and death of King Richard the Second”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i], page 28, column 2:
      England bound in with the triumphant ſea, / Whoſe rocky ſhore beates backe the enuious ſiedge / Of watery Neptune, is now bound in with ſhame, / With Inky blottes, and rotten Parchment bonds.
    • 1711 [December?] (date written), Jonathan Swift, “An Excellent New Song. Being the Intended Speech of a Famous Orator against Peace [i.e., Daniel Finch, 2nd Earl of Nottingham].”, in Thomas Sheridan, John Nichols, editors, The Works of the Rev. Jonathan Swift, […], new edition, volume VII, London: […] J[oseph] Johnson, […], published 1801, →OCLC, page 72:
      When I and some others subscribed our names / To a plot for expelling my master king James [James II of England]; / I withdrew my subscription by help of a blot, / And so might discover or gain by the plot: […]
    • 1849 May – 1850 November, Charles Dickens, “Chapter XVII. Somebody Turns Up.”, in The Personal History of David Copperfield, London: Bradbury & Evans, […], published 1850, →OCLC, page 176:
      Her utmost powers of expression (which were certainly not great in ink) were exhausted in the attempt to write what she felt on the subject of my journey. Four sides of incoherent and interjectional beginnings of sentences, that had no end, except blots, were inadequate to afford her any relief. But the blots were more expressive to me than the best composition; for they showed me that Peggotty had been crying all over the paper, and what could I have desired more?
    • 1918, Siegfried Sassoon, “The Death-Bed”, in The Old Huntsman and Other Poems‎[1], London: Heinemann, page 95:
      […] He was blind; he could not see the stars
      Glinting among the wraiths of wandering cloud;
      Queer blots of colour, purple, scarlet, green,
      Flickered and faded in his drowning eyes.
  2. (by extension) A stain on someone's reputation or character; a disgrace.
    • 1595 December 9 (first known performance), William Shakespeare, “The life and death of King Richard the Second”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene iii], page 43, column 1:
      Thy ouerflow of good, conuerts to bad, / And thy abundant goodneſſe ſhall excuſe / This deadly blot, in thy digreſſing ſonne.
    • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Proverbs 9:7, column 2:
      He that reproueth a ſcorner, getteth to himſelfe ſhame: and he that rebuketh a wicked man, getteth himſelfe a blot.
    • 1785, William Cowper, “Book II. The Time-piece.”, in The Task, a Poem, […], London: […] J[oseph] Johnson;  […], →OCLC, page 46:
      Thus man devotes his brother, and deſtroys; / And worſe than all, and moſt to be deplored / As human nature’s broadeſt, fouleſt blot, / Chains him, and taſks him, and exacts his ſweat / With ſtripes, that mercy with a bleeding heart / Weeps when ſhe ſees inflicted on a beaſt.
    • 1960 February, “The dieselised St. Pancras suburban service”, in Trains Illustrated, page 95:
      The only blot on this service is that of its Kentish Town connections, which throughout the day in many cases just miss the St. Pancras-Luton stopping trains.
  3. (biochemistry) A method of transferring proteins, DNA or RNA, onto a carrier.
  4. (backgammon) An exposed piece in backgammon.

Derived terms

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Terms derived from blot (noun)
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Descendants

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  • → Polish: blotka

Translations

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Verb

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blot (third-person singular simple present blots, present participle blotting, simple past and past participle blotted)

  1. (transitive) To cause a blot (on something) by spilling a coloured substance.
  2. (intransitive) To soak up or absorb liquid.
    This paper blots easily.
  3. (transitive) To dry (writing, etc.) with blotting paper.
  4. (transitive) To spot, stain, or bespatter, as with ink.
    • 1566, George Gascoigne, Dan Bartholmew of Bath:
      The briefe was writte and blotted all with gore, […]
  5. (transitive) To impair; to damage; to mar; to soil.
  6. (transitive) To stain with infamy; to disgrace.
    • 1707, Nicholas Rowe, The Royal Convert:
      Blot not thy Innocence with guiltleſs Blood.
  7. (transitive) To obliterate, as writing with ink; to cancel; to efface; generally with out.
    to blot out a word or a sentence
    • 1681, John Dryden, The Spanish Fryar: Or, the Double Discovery. […], London: […] Richard Tonson and Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, Act V, page 82:
      One act like this blots out a thouſand Crimes.
  8. (transitive) To obscure; to eclipse; to shadow.
    • 1656, Abraham Cowley, Davideis:
      He ſung how Earth blots the Moons gilded Wane, […]
  9. (transitive, MLE) To sell illegal drugs, to deal, to push.
    • 2006 June 26, “Where Ya From?” (track 10), in Who Needs Actions When You Got Words‎[2], performed by Plan B (musician):
      I'm walking down the street, past the coppers on the beat. Past the shotters blottin' weed, clear for everyone to see.
    • 2009 March 17, “Next Hype” (track 3), in All-Star Pars‎[3], performed by Tempa T:
      What kind of things that you have. When I find out don't expect me to stop. I'll come for the P's that you stack. And come for the food that you blot.
    • 2014 August 18, “Earth Burns”‎[4]performed by Porchy,Oxxxymiron:
      Porchy: Blottin' dope on the block, going on these shows.
  10. (backgammon, transitive) To hit a blot.

Derived terms

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Terms derived from blot (verb)

Translations

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Anagrams

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Danish

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Etymology 1

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Borrowed from Middle Low German blōt (“bare”), from Proto-Germanic *blautaz (“void, emaciated, soft”), cognate with German bloß (“bare”) and Danish blød (“soft”).

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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blot (plural and definite singular attributive blotte)

  1. (dated) mere, very

Adverb

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blot

  1. (slightly formal) only, merely
Synonyms
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Etymology 2

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From Old Norse blót, from Proto-Germanic *blōtą.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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blot

  1. a sacrifice (especially a blood sacrifice by heathens)

Etymology 3

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See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Pronunciation

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Verb

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blot

  1. imperative of blotte

Etymology 4

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See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Pronunciation

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Verb

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blot

  1. imperative of blote

Low German

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Etymology

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From Middle Low German blōt (“bare”), from Proto-Germanic *blautaz (“void, emaciated, soft”), cognate with German bloß (“bare”) and Danish blød (“soft”). Spelling variant of bloot.

Pronunciation

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Adverb

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blot

  1. only, merely

Synonyms

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References

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  • Der neue SASS: Plattdeutsches Wörterbuch, Plattdeutsch - Hochdeutsch, Hochdeutsch - Plattdeutsch. Plattdeutsche Rechtschreibung, sixth revised edition (2011, →ISBN, Wachholtz Verlag, Neumünster)

Luxembourgish

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Adjective

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blot

  1. neuter nominative of blo
  2. neuter accusative of blo

Old English

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Etymology

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From Proto-Germanic *blōtą.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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blōt n

  1. a sacrifice, especially a blood sacrifice by heathens
    • He ealle ða cuman to blote gedyde ― he gave all the strangers as a sacrifice. (Alfred's Orosius)

Declension

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Declension of blōt (strong a-stem)
Case Singular Plural
nominative blōt blōt
accusative blōt blōt
genitive blōtes blōta
dative blōte blōtum
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Swedish

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Swedish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia sv
Midvinterblot [Midwinter blót] by Carl Larsson

Etymology

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From Old Norse blót, from Proto-Germanic *blōtą.

Noun

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blot n

  1. a blót (heathen sacrificial ceremony)

Declension

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Declension of blot
nominative genitive
singular indefinite blot blots
definite blotet blotets
plural indefinite blot blots
definite bloten blotens

Derived terms

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Terms derived from blot
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References

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