Where does “blotter” come from?
Blotter derives from English blot plus the agent suffix -er, ultimately tracing through Old French -er, Latin -are, and Proto-Italic -os.
blotter (English): a piece of blotting paper in a pad as a piece of...
Definitions
- a piece of blotting paper in a pad as a piece of...
Ancestry of “blotter”, step by step
blotter traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English blót
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | blót | A Norse ceremonial offering |
| 2 | Middle English | blot | blot, spot, stain, blemish |
| 3 | Old Norse | blautr | wet; weak |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | blautaz | soft; exhausted; emptied out; spent; fainthearted |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰlāw- | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰel | shiny, white |
via Danish blotte
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Danish | blotte | to bare, uncover; to expose; to blunder, give... |
| 2 | Middle Low German | blōten | — |
| 3 | Old Saxon | blōt | bare; naked |
via Danish er
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Danish | er | present of være; are |