Where does “blank” come from?
blank (Middle Low German) comes from Old Saxon 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
blank traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old Saxon blank
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old Saxon | blank | — |
| 2 | Proto-Germanic | *blank | — |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | blankaz | bright, shining, white, gleaming, blinding |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | bhleg- | to shine, white; to shine, burn, scorch |
via Proto-West Germanic blank
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Proto-West Germanic | blank | bright, shining |