Where does “blank” come from?

blank (Plautdietsch) comes from Middle Low German blank, from Old Saxon blank, from Proto-Germanic *blank, from Proto-Germanic blankaz, from Proto-Indo-European bhleg- — to shine, white; to shine, burn, scorch.

blank (Plautdietsch): shiny, lustrous, glittering

Definitions

  1. shiny, lustrous, glittering

Ancestry of “blank”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Low Germanblank—
2Old Saxonblank—
3Proto-Germanic*blank—
4Proto-Germanicblankazbright, shining, white, gleaming, blinding
5Proto-Indo-Europeanbhleg-to shine, white; to shine, burn, scorch
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bhleg- →Every word from Proto-Germanic blankaz →Every word from Proto-Germanic *blank →