Where does “blank” come from?
blank (Middle English) comes from Old French blanc, from Late Latin blancus, from Frankish blank, from Proto-Germanic *blank, from Proto-Germanic blankaz, from Proto-Indo-European bhleg- — to shine, white; to shine, burn, scorch.
Ancestry of “blank”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old French | blanc | white |
| 2 | Late Latin | blancus | white |
| 3 | Frankish | blank | bright; gleaming, white, blinding; bright,... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | *blank | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | blankaz | bright, shining, white, gleaming, blinding |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bhleg- | to shine, white; to shine, burn, scorch |
Words derived from “blank”