*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of bland

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *melh₂-der.? Latin blandusbor. English bland Borrowed from Latin blandus (“pleasant”).

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
adj

Having a soothing effect; not irritating or stimulating. · Lacking in taste or flavor. · Lacking in vigor. · Lacking interest; boring; dull.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *melh₂-der.? Latin blandusbor. English bland Borrowed from Latin blandus (“pleasant”).

This page abbreviates 1 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "la:blandus<t:pleasant>",
        "id": "dull",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
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    },
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      },
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    }
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      "blandus#Latin"
    ],
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      "blandus#Latin"
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        "Having a soothing effect; not irritating or stimulating.",
        "Lacking in taste or flavor.",
        "Lacking in vigor.",
        "Lacking interest; boring; dull."
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
verb

To mix; blend; mingle. · To connect; associate.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English blanden, blonden, from Old English blandan (“to blend, mix, mingle; trouble, disturb, corrupt”), from Proto-Germanic *blandaną (“to mix, blend”). Cognate with Icelandic blanda, Norwegian, Danish blande, Swedish blanda. See also blend.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    },
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        "3": "*bʰlendʰ-"
      },
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    },
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      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "blanden"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English blanden"
    },
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      },
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    },
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        "5": "to mix, blend"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *blandaną (“to mix, blend”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "blanda"
      },
      "expansion": "Icelandic blanda"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "no",
        "2": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Norwegian"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da",
        "2": "blande"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish blande"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "blanda"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish blanda"
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    ],
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    ],
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      "blend",
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        "To mix; blend; mingle.",
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
noun

Mixture; union. · A summer beverage prepared from the whey of churned milk, common among the inhabitants of the Shetland Islands.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

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”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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        "1": "en",
        "id": "mixture"
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      "args": {
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        "3": "bland"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English bland"
    },
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        "3": "bland"
      },
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    },
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      },
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    },
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      "name": "der",
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        "4": "",
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      },
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    },
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        "2": "blanda",
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    },
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      "bland",
      "bland#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "bland",
      "bland#Old_English"
    ],
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      "blond",
      "blond#Old_English"
    ],
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    ],
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    ],
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    ]
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Where this record stops

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Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
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Import run
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Permanent entry ID
w-YmxhbmQ