Where does “блат” come from?
блат (Russian) comes from Polish blat, from German blatt, from Middle High German blat, from Old High German blat, from Proto-West Germanic blad, from Proto-Germanic bladą, from Proto-Indo-European bʰlh̥₃oto, from Proto-Indo-European bʰleh₃-.
блат (Russian): blat, cronyism, pull; genitive plural of бла́то
Definitions
- blat, cronyism, pull; genitive plural of бла́то
Ancestry of “блат”, step by step
блат traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Polish blat
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Polish | blat | the flat surface of a table |
| 2 | German | blatt | leaf green and flat organ of a plant |
| 3 | Middle High German | blat | leaf |
| 4 | Old High German | blat | leaf |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | blad | leaf; sheet; blade |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | bladą | leaf; sheet; blade |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰlh̥₃oto | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰleh₃- | bloom, flower |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰel- | to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰōl- | — |
via Yiddish בלאַט
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yiddish | בלאַט | leaf; sheet; newspaper |