Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition

Blank

Blank

,
Adj.
[OE.
blank
,
blonc
,
blaunc
,
blaunche
, fr. F.
blanc
, fem.
blanche
, fr. OHG.
blanch
shining, bright, white, G.
blank
; akin to E.
blink
, cf. also AS.
blanc
white. [GREEK]98. See
Blink
, and cf. 1st
Blanch
.]
1.
Of a white or pale color; without color.
To the
blank
moon
Her office they prescribed.
Milton.
2.
Free from writing, printing, or marks; having an empty space to be filled in with some special writing; – said of checks, official documents, etc.;
as,
blank
paper; a
blank
check; a
blank
ballot
.
3.
Utterly confounded or discomfited.
Adam . . . astonied stood, and
blank
.
Milton.
4.
Empty; void; without result; fruitless;
as, a
blank
space; a
blank
day
.
5.
Lacking characteristics which give variety;
as, a
blank
desert; a
blank
wall
; destitute of interests, affections, hopes, etc.;
as, to live a
blank
existence
; destitute of sensations;
as,
blank
unconsciousness
.
6.
Lacking animation and intelligence, or their associated characteristics, as expression of face, look, etc.; expressionless; vacant.
“Blank and horror-stricken faces.”
C. Kingsley.
The
blank
. . . glance of a half returned consciousness.
G. Eliot.
7.
Absolute; downright; unmixed;
as,
blank
terror
.
Blank bar
(Law)
,
a plea put in to oblige the plaintiff in an action of trespass to assign the certain place where the trespass was committed; – called also
common bar
.
–
Blank cartridge
,
a cartridge containing no ball.
–
Blank deed
.
See
Deed
.
–
Blank door
, or
Blank window
(Arch.)
,
a depression in a wall of the size of a door or window, either for symmetrical effect, or for the more convenient insertion of a door or window at a future time, should it be needed.
–
Blank indorsement
(Law)
,
an indorsement which omits the name of the person in whose favor it is made; it is usually made by simply writing the name of the indorser on the back of the bill.
–
Blank line
(Print.)
,
a vacant space of the breadth of a line, on a printed page; a line of quadrats.
–
Blank tire
(Mech.)
,
a tire without a flange.
–
Blank tooling
.
See
Blind tooling
, under
Blind
.
–
Blank verse
.
See under
Verse
.
–
Blank wall
,
a wall in which there is no opening; a dead wall.

Blank

,
Noun.
1.
Any void space; a void space on paper, or in any written instrument; an interval void of consciousness, action, result, etc; a void.
I can not write a paper full, I used to do; and yet I will not forgive a
blank
of half an inch from you.
Swift.
From this time there ensues a long
blank
in the history of French legislation.
Hallam.
I was ill. I can’t tell how long – it was a
blank
.
G. Eliot.
2.
A lot by which nothing is gained; a ticket in a lottery on which no prize is indicated.
In Fortune's lottery lies
A heap of
blanks
, like this, for one small prize.
Dryden.
3.
A paper unwritten; a paper without marks or characters a blank ballot; – especially, a paper on which are to be inserted designated items of information, for which spaces are left vacant; a bland form.
The freemen signified their approbation by an inscribed vote, and their dissent by a
blank
.
Palfrey.
4.
A paper containing the substance of a legal instrument, as a deed, release, writ, or execution, with spaces left to be filled with names, date, descriptions, etc.
5.
The point aimed at in a target, marked with a white spot; hence, the object to which anything is directed.
Let me still remain
The true
blank
of thine eye.
Shakespeare
6.
Aim; shot; range.
[Obs.]
I have stood . . . within the
blank
of his displeasure
For my free speech.
Shakespeare
7.
A kind of base silver money, first coined in England by Henry V., and worth about 8 pence; also, a French coin of the seventeenth century, worth about 4 pence.
Nares.
8.
(Mech.)
A piece of metal prepared to be made into something by a further operation, as a coin, screw, nuts.
9.
(Dominoes)
A piece or division of a piece, without spots;
as, the “double
blank
”; the “six
blank
.”
In blank
,
with an essential portion to be supplied by another; as, to make out a check in blank.

Blank

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Blanked
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Blanking
.]
[Cf. 3d
Blanch
.]
1.
To make void; to annul.
[Obs.]
Spenser.
2.
To blanch; to make blank; to damp the spirits of; to dispirit or confuse.
[Obs.]
Each opposite that
blanks
the face of joy.
Shakespeare

Webster 1828 Edition

Blank

BLANK

, a.
1.
Void; empty; consequently white; as a blank paper.
2.
White or pale; as the blank moon.
3.
Pale from fear or terror; hence confused; confounded; dispirited; dejected.
Adam--astonished stood, and blank.
4.
Without rhyme; as blank verse, verse in which rhyme is wanting.
5.
Pure; entire; complete.
6.
Not containing balls or bullets; as blank cartridges.
This word is applied to various other objects, usually in the sense of destitution, emptiness; as a blank line; a blank space, in a book.&c.

BLANK

,
Noun.
Any void space; a void space on paper, or in any written instrument.
1.
A lot by which nothing is gained; a ticket in a lottery which draws no prize.
2.
A paper unwritten; a paper without marks or characters.
3.
A paper containing the substance of a legal instrument, as a deed, release, writ or execution, with vacant spaces left to be filled with names, date, descriptions. &c.
4.
The point to which an arrow is directed, marked with white paper. [Little used.]
5.
Aim; shot.
6.
Object to which any thing is directed.
7.
A small copper coin formerly current in France, at the rate of 5 deniers Tournois. There were also pieces of three blanks, and of six; but they are now become moneys of account.
Blank-bar, in law, a common bar, or a plea in bar, which, in an action of trespass, is put in to oblige the plaintiff to assign the place where the trespass was committed.
Point-blank, in gunnery, the shot of a gun leveled horizontally. The distance between the piece, and the point where the shot first touches the ground, is called the point-blank range; the shot proceeding on a straight line, without curving.

BLANK

,
Verb.
T.
To make void; to annul.
1.
To deprive of color, the index of health and spirits; to damp the spirits; to dispirit or confuse; as, to blank the face of joy.

Definition 2024

Blank

Blank

See also: blank and blänk

English

Proper noun

Blank

  1. (chiefly dated) Used as an anonymous placeholder for a person's name.
    • 1922, The Saturday Review (volume 133, page 359)
      Miss Compton, in 'Other People's Worries,' asks rhetorically whether a young rip was not in the Blank divorce case.

Related terms

blank

blank

See also: Blank and blänk

English

Adjective

blank ‎(comparative blanker or more blank, superlative blankest or most blank)

  1. (archaic) White or pale; without colour.
    • Milton
      To the blank moon / Her office they prescribed.
  2. Free from writing, printing, or marks; having an empty space to be filled in
    blank paper
    a blank check
    a blank ballot
  3. (sports) scoreless; without any goals or points
    • 2011 December 27, Mike Henson, “Norwich 0 - 2 Tottenham”, in BBC Sport:
      Referee Michael Oliver failed to detect a foul in a crowded box and the Canaries escaped down the tunnel with the scoreline still blank.
  4. (figuratively) Lacking characteristics which give variety; uniform.
    a blank desert; a blank wall; blank unconsciousness
  5. Absolute; downright; sheer.
    There was a look of blank terror on his face.
  6. Without expression.
    Failing to understand the question, he gave me a blank stare.
  7. Utterly confounded or discomfited.
    • Milton
      Adam […] astonied stood, and blank.
  8. Empty; void; without result; fruitless.
    a blank day‎
  9. Devoid of thoughts, memory, or inspiration.
    The shock left his memory blank.‎
  10. (military) Ammunition with propellant but without bullets; unbulleted. (used for training)
    The recruits were issued with blank rounds.‎

Descendants

Translations

Noun

blank ‎(plural blanks)

  1. A cartridge that is designed to simulate the noise and smoke of real gunfire without actually firing a projectile.
  2. An physical empty space; a void, for example on a paper
  3. An empty space in one's memory; a forgotten item or memory
    • Jonathan Swift
      I cannot write a paper full, I used to do; and yet I will not forgive a blank of half an inch from you.
    • Hallam
      From this time there ensues a long blank in the history of French legislation.
    • George Eliot
      I was ill. I can't tell how long — it was a blank.
  4. A space to be filled in on a form or template.
    Write your answers in the blanks.
  5. A paper without marks or characters, or with space left for writing; a ballot, form, contract, etc. that has not yet been filled in.
    • Palfrey
      The freemen signified their approbation by an inscribed vote, and their dissent by a blank.
  6. A lot by which nothing is gained; a ticket in a lottery on which no prize is indicated.
    • Dryden
      In Fortune's lottery lies / A heap of blanks, like this, for one small prize.
  7. (archaic, historical) A kind of base silver money, first coined in England by Henry V., and worth about 8 pence
  8. (archaic, historical) a French coin of the seventeenth century, worth about 4 pence.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Nares to this entry?)
  9. (engineering) A piece of metal prepared to be made into something by a further operation, such as a coin, ****, nuts.
  10. (dominoes) A domino without spots
    the double blank
    the six blank
  11. The space character; the character resulting from pressing the space-bar on a keyboard.
  12. The point aimed at in a target, marked with a white spot
  13. (figuratively) The object to which anything is directed or aimed.
    • Shakespeare
      Let me still remain / The true blank of thine eye.
  14. Aim; shot; range.
    • Shakespeare
      I have stood […] within the blank of his displeasure / For my free speech.
  15. (chemistry) A sample for a control experiment that does not contain any of the analyte of interest, in order to deliberately produce a non-detection to verify that a detection is distinguishable from it.

Synonyms

  • (bullet that doesn't harm): blank cartridge, blank bullet

Translations

Verb

blank ‎(third-person singular simple present blanks, present participle blanking, simple past and past participle blanked)

  1. (transitive) To make void; to erase.
    I blanked out my previous entry.
  2. (transitive, slang) To ignore.
    She blanked me for no reason.
  3. (transitive) To prevent from scoring, for example in a sporting event.
    The team was blanked.
    England blanks Wales to advance to the final.
  4. (intransitive) To become blank.
  5. (intransitive, idiomatic) To be temporarily unable to remember.
    I'm blanking on her name right now.

Usage notes

  • Almost any sense of this can occur with out. See blank out.

Translations

Derived terms

Afrikaans

Etymology

From Dutch blank.

Adjective

blank ‎(attributive blanke, comparative blanker, superlative blankste)

  1. white
  2. White; Caucasian

Antonyms

Dalmatian

Etymology

From Late Latin *blancus (compare Italian bianco, French blanc, Spanish blanco, Portuguese branco), from Proto-Germanic *blankaz ‎(“bright, shining, blinding, white”), from Proto-Indo-European *bhleg- ‎(“to shine”).

Adjective

blank m ‎(plural blanke, feminine blanca)

  1. white

Synonyms

References

  • 2000, Matteo Giulio Bartoli, Il Dalmatico: Resti di un’antica lingua romanza parlata da Veglia a Ragusa e sua collocazione nella Romània appenino-balcanica, Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana.

Danish

Adjective

blank

  1. bright, shining, glossy
  2. empty
  3. blank
  4. broke (be without money)

Inflection

Inflection of blank
Positive Comparative Superlative
Common singular blank blankere blankest2
Neuter singular blankt blankere blankest2
Plural blanke blankere blankest2
Definite attributive1 blanke blankere blankeste
1) When an adjective is applied predicatively to something definite, the corresponding "indefinite" form is used.
2) The "indefinite" superlatives may not be used attributively.

References

Dutch

Etymology

From Old Dutch *blank, from Proto-Germanic *blankaz.

Pronunciation

Adjective

blank ‎(comparative blanker, superlative blankst)

  1. white, pale
  2. White, Caucasian (race)

Inflection

Inflection of blank
uninflected blank
inflected blanke
comparative blanker
positive comparative superlative
predicative/adverbial blank blanker het blankst
het blankste
indefinite m./f. sing. blanke blankere blankste
n. sing. blank blanker blankste
plural blanke blankere blankste
definite blanke blankere blankste
partitive blanks blankers —

Derived terms

  • blank staan

Descendants

German

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /blaŋk/
  • Rhymes: -aŋk

Adjective

blank ‎(comparative blanker, superlative am blanksten)

  1. pure, sheer
    Blanke Wut packte ihn.‎
    Sheer anger seized him.

Declension

Comparative forms of blank
number & gender singular plural
masculine feminine neuter all genders
predicative er ist blanker sie ist blanker es ist blanker sie sind blanker
strong declension
(without article)		 nominative blankerer blankere blankeres blankere
genitive blankeren blankerer blankeren blankerer
dative blankerem blankerer blankerem blankeren
accusative blankeren blankere blankeres blankere
weak declension
(with definite article)		 nominative der blankere die blankere das blankere die blankeren
genitive des blankeren der blankeren des blankeren der blankeren
dative dem blankeren der blankeren dem blankeren den blankeren
accusative den blankeren die blankere das blankere die blankeren
mixed declension
(with indefinite article)		 nominative ein blankerer eine blankere ein blankeres (keine) blankeren
genitive eines blankeren einer blankeren eines blankeren (keiner) blankeren
dative einem blankeren einer blankeren einem blankeren (keinen) blankeren
accusative einen blankeren eine blankere ein blankeres (keine) blankeren

Derived terms

Plautdietsch

Adjective

blank

  1. shiny, lustrous, glittering

Swedish

Etymology

From Middle Low German blank, from Old Saxon blank, from Proto-Germanic *blankaz. Displaced native Swedish black, from Old Norse blakkr.

Adjective

blank (comparative blankare, superlative blankast)

  1. reflective, shiny

Inflection

Inflection of blank
Indefinite/attributive Positive Comparative Superlative2
Common singular blank blankare blankast
Neuter singular blankt blankare blankast
Plural blanka blankare blankast
Definite Positive Comparative Superlative
Masculine singular1 blanke blankare blankaste
All blanka blankare blankaste
1) Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine.
2) The indefinite superlative forms are only used in an attributive role.

Etymology

From Middle English blank, blonc, blaunc, blaunche, from Anglo-Norman blonc, blaunc, blaunche from Old French blanc, feminine blanche, from Frankish *blank ‎(“gleaming, white, blinding”) from Proto-Germanic *blankaz ‎(“white, bright, blinding”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰleyǵ- ‎(“to shine”). Akin to Old High German blanch ‎(“shining, bright, white”) (German blank), Old English blanc ‎(“white, grey”), blanca ‎(“white steed”). More at blink, blind, blanch.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /blæŋk/
  • (also) (US) IPA(key): /bleɪŋk/
  • Rhymes: -æŋk

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