blao

Galician

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *bʰel-

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₁-

Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₁-der.

Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₁wos

Proto-Germanic *blēwaz

Proto-West Germanic *blāu

Old High German blāoder.

Galician blao

Derived from Old High German blāo.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈblao/ [ˈblɑ.ʊ]
• Rhymes: -ao
• Hyphenation: bla‧o

Adjective

blao m or f (plural blaos)

1. (heraldry) azure

Noun

blao m (plural blaos)

1. (heraldry, obsolete) azure

References

• Antón Santamarina, editor (2006–2013), “blao”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega

Old High German

Alternative forms

• plāo

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *blāu, from Proto-Germanic *blēwaz, whence also Old English blāw, Old Norse blár.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈblaː.o/

Adjective

blāo

1. blue

Declension

Strong declension of blao

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	blāwēr, blāo	blāwiu, blāo	blāwaȥ, blāo
accusative	blāwan	blāwa	blāwaȥ, blāo
genitive	blāwes	blāwera	blāwes
dative	blāwemu	blāweru	blāwemu
instrumental	blāwu	—	blāwu
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	blāwe, blāo	blāwo, blāo	blāwiu, blāo
accusative	blāwe	blāwo	blāwiu, blāo
genitive	blāwero	blāwero	blāwero
dative	blāwēm	blāwēm	blāwēm

Weak declension of blao

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	blāwo	blāwa	blāwa
accusative	blāwon	blāwūn	blāwa
genitive	blāwen	blāwūn	blāwen
dative	blāwen	blāwūn	blāwen
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	blāwon	blāwūn	blāwon
accusative	blāwon	blāwūn	blāwon
genitive	blāwōno	blāwōno	blāwōno
dative	blāwōm	blāwōm	blāwōm

Declension of comparative of blao

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	blāwōro	blāwōra	blāwōra
accusative	blāwōron	blāwōrūn	blāwōra
genitive	blāwōren	blāwōrūn	blāwōren
dative	blāwōren	blāwōrūn	blāwōren
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	blāwōron	blāwōrūn	blāwōron
accusative	blāwōron	blāwōrūn	blāwōron
genitive	blāwōrōno	blāwōrōno	blāwōrōno
dative	blāwōrōm	blāwōrōm	blāwōrōm

Strong declension of superlative blao

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	blāwōstēr, blāwōst	blāwōstiu, blāwōst	blāwōstaȥ, blāwōst
accusative	blāwōstan	blāwōsta	blāwōstaȥ, blāwōst
genitive	blāwōstes	blāwōstera	blāwōstes
dative	blāwōstemu	blāwōsteru	blāwōstemu
instrumental	blāwōstu	—	blāwōstu
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	blāwōste, blāwōst	blāwōsto, blāwōst	blāwōstiu, blāwōst
accusative	blāwōste	blāwōsto	blāwōstiu, blāwōst
genitive	blāwōstero	blāwōstero	blāwōstero
dative	blāwōstēm	blāwōstēm	blāwōstēm

Weak declension of superlative blao

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	blāwōsto	blāwōsta	blāwōsta
accusative	blāwōston	blāwōstūn	blāwōsta
genitive	blāwōsten	blāwōstūn	blāwōsten
dative	blāwōsten	blāwōstūn	blāwōsten
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	blāwōston	blāwōstūn	blāwōston
accusative	blāwōston	blāwōstūn	blāwōston
genitive	blāwōstōno	blāwōstōno	blāwōstōno
dative	blāwōstōm	blāwōstōm	blāwōstōm

Descendants

• Middle High German: blā
  • Alemannic German: blaaw
  • Bavarian:

    Cimbrian: plabe

    Gottscheerish: blūb

  • Central Franconian: bloo, blau
    • Hunsrik: blau
    • Luxembourgish: blo
  • German: blau
  • Rhine Franconian:
    • Pennsylvania German: bloh
  • Vilamovian: błöw
  • Yiddish: בלאָ (blo), בלוי (bloy)
• → Spanish: blao

See also

Colors in Old High German · farawa, farwa (layout · text)

wīȥ	grāo	swarz
rōt	gelewrōt, gelorōt, rōtgelo; brūn, ërpf	gelo
	gruoni
	blāo	blāo
	purpura

See Further

• Karg-Gasterstädt, Elisabeth; Frings, Theodor; et al., editors (1952–2022), “blâo”, in Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch‎^[1] (in German), Berlin: Akademie-Verlag, via Sächsische Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Leipzig

Old Saxon

Alternative forms

• blāu

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *blāu, from Proto-Germanic *blēwaz, whence also Old English blāw, Old Norse blár.

Adjective

blāo (comparative blāworo, superlative blāwost)

1. blue

Declension

Declension of blāo

Strong declension
	singular			plural
	masculine	neuter	feminine	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative	blāo	blāo	blāo	blāwe	blāwu	blāwe
accusative	blāwana	blāo	blāwa	blāwe	blāwu	blāwe
genitive	blāwes	blāwes	blāwaro	blāwarō	blāwarō	blāwarō
dative	blāwumu	blāwumu	blāwaro	blāwum	blāwum	blāwum
Weak declension
	singular			plural
	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative	blāwo	blāwa	blāwa	blāwu
accusative	blāwun	blāwa	blāwun	blāwun
genitive	blāwun	blāwun	blāwun	blāwonō
dative	blāwun	blāwun	blāwun	blāwum

Comparative forms of blāo (weak only)

	singular			plural
	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative	blāworo	blāwora	blāwora	blāworu
accusative	blāworun	blāwora	blāworun	blāworun
genitive	blāworun	blāworun	blāworun	blāworonō
dative	blāworun	blāworun	blāworun	blāworum

Superlative forms of blāo

Strong declension
	singular			plural
	masculine	neuter	feminine	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative	blāwost	blāwost	blāwost	blāwoste	blāwoste	blāwostu
accusative	blāwostana	blāwost	blāwosta	blāwoste	blāwoste	blāwostu
genitive	blāwostes	blāwostes	blāwostaro	blāwostarō	blāwostarō	blāwostarō
dative	blāwostumu	blāwostumu	blāwostaro	blāwostum	blāwostum	blāwostum
Weak declension
	singular			plural
	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative	blāwosto	blāwosta	blāwosta	blāwostu
accusative	blāwostun	blāwosta	blāwostun	blāwostun
genitive	blāwostun	blāwostun	blāwostun	blāwostonō
dative	blāwostun	blāwostun	blāwostun	blāwostum

Descendants

• Middle Low German: blâ, blâw, blauwe
  • Low German: blau, blaag, bloe (dialectal)
    • Dutch Low Saxon: blauw
    • German Low German: blaag, blag, blau, blaug, blo', blao
      • Plautdietsch: bleiw

Spanish

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *bʰel-

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₁-

Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₁-der.

Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₁wos

Proto-Germanic *blēwaz

Proto-West Germanic *blāu

Old High German blāoder.

Spanish blao

Derived from Old High German blāo.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈblao/ [ˈbla.o]
• Rhymes: -ao
• Syllabification: bla‧o

Adjective

blao m or f (masculine and feminine plural blaos)

1. (heraldry) azure

   Synonym: celeste

2. (obsolete) blue

   Synonym: azul

Noun

blao m (plural blaos)

1. (heraldry, obsolete) azure

   Synonym: azur

2. (obsolete) azure (color)

   Synonyms: azur, celeste

   • 1981, Historia general de España:

     Los ricoshombres e hidalgos se procuraban sus vestidos y telas del extranjero, sobre todo de Flandes, de donde llegaban la escarlata, el ezmelín y los blaos.

     The noblemen and hidalgos procured their clothes and fabrics from abroad, especially from Flanders, from whence came the scarlet, the ezmelín, and the azures.

Further reading

• “blao”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025