*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of blat

Imitative. First attested in 1846 in the intransitive sense of "bleat". Compare English bleat, Old English blǣtan (“to bleat”).

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 ↗
verb

To cry, as a calf, sheep, or goat. · To make a senseless noise. · To talk inconsiderately; blab. · To produce an overrich or overblown sound on a brass instrument such as a trumpet, trombone, or tuba.

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

Imitative. First attested in 1846 in the intransitive sense of "bleat". Compare English bleat, Old English blǣtan (“to bleat”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

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": "onomatopoeic",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "title": "Imitative"
      },
      "expansion": "Imitative"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "bleat"
      },
      "expansion": "English bleat"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "blǣtan",
        "t": "to bleat"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English blǣtan (“to bleat”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "bleat",
      "bleat#English"
    ],
    [
      "blǣtan",
      "blætan#Old_English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To cry, as a calf, sheep, or goat.",
        "To make a senseless noise.",
        "To talk inconsiderately; blab.",
        "To produce an overrich or overblown sound on a brass instrument such as a trumpet, trombone, or tuba."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "33d8ebe26f4053c292ff4f5649bde5fe7bd6ed72deb7026cafbc20f195b6e98a",
      "rawRecordSha256": "1d8539c08e419ea0da1e301c19d8790f854409c6e2152c216543092958cbe8cf",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 228162
    }
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A newspaper.

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

Borrowed from German Blatt (“newspaper”). Doublet of blade.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Borrowed-form mentionBlattde
  • Doublet mentionbladeen
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "de",
        "3": "Blatt",
        "4": "",
        "5": "newspaper"
      },
      "expansion": "German Blatt (“newspaper”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "blade"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of blade"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Blatt",
      "Blatt#German"
    ],
    [
      "blade",
      "blade#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A newspaper."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "slang"
      ],
      "recordId": "f02bfa866c47867da2d3c6645d6c9439e5139c6ba5dd692648b17669adc57b4d",
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}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
noun

The Soviet system of connections and social relationships; one's social or business network (in Russian or Soviet society).

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

Borrowed from Russian блат (blat), from Polish blat (“cover, umbrella”) or Yiddish בלאַט (blat, “leaf, list”). Doublet of blade.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Borrowed-form mentionблатru
  • Derivation mentionblatpl · cover, umbrella
  • Derivation mentionבלאַטyi · leaf, list
  • Doublet mentionbladeen
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ru",
        "3": "блат"
      },
      "expansion": "Russian блат (blat)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "pl",
        "3": "blat",
        "t": "cover, umbrella"
      },
      "expansion": "Polish blat (“cover, umbrella”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "yi",
        "3": "בלאַט",
        "t": "leaf, list"
      },
      "expansion": "Yiddish בלאַט (blat, “leaf, list”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "blade"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of blade"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "блат",
      "блат#Russian"
    ],
    [
      "blat",
      "blat#Polish"
    ],
    [
      "בלאַט",
      "בלאַט#Yiddish"
    ],
    [
      "blade",
      "blade#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
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        "uncountable"
      ],
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for blat →

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
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-YmxhdA