bleat

English

This entry needs a sound clip exemplifying the definition.

Alternative forms

• blate, blait (Scotland)

Etymology

From Middle English bleten, from Old English blǣtan (“to bleat”), from Proto-West Germanic *blātijan, from Proto-Germanic *blētijaną (“to bleat”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₁- (“to howl, cry, bleat”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- (“to make a loud noise”).

Cognate with Scots blete, bleit, West Frisian bâlte, blaaien, blêtsje (“to bleat”), Dutch blaten (“to bleat”), Low German bleten (“to bleat”), German blaßen, blässen (“to bleat”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbliːt/

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːt

Noun

bleat (plural bleats)

1. The characteristic cry of a sheep or a goat.

Synonyms

• (sheep's cry): baa, baaing, bleating

Translations

cry of a sheep or a goat

• Arabic: مَأْمَأَة‎ (maʔmaʔa)
• Bulgarian: блеене (bg) (bleene)
• Catalan: bel (ca) m
• Czech: bečení n, bek m
• Danish: mæh (da)
• Dutch: geblaat (nl) n
• Esperanto: beo
• Faroese: jarm n, jarman f, jarming f
• Finnish: määkiminen (fi), määintä (fi)
• French: (sheep's cry) bêlement (fr) m, (goat's cry) bêlement (fr) m, béguètement (fr) m
• German: Blöken (de) n
• Greek: βέλασμα (el) n (vélasma)

  Ancient: βληχή f (blēkhḗ)

• Hebrew: פעיה‎ f (pe'iyá), חניבה‎ f (chanivá)
• Icelandic: jarmur (is) m
• Ido: bramo (io)
• Indonesian: embik (id), embek (id), embek (id)
• Italian: belato (it) m
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: باع‎ (ba'), باڵاندن‎ (ballandin)

• Latin: balatus m
• Malay: embek
• Old English: blǣt m, *blǣtung
• Polish: bek (pl) m
• Portuguese: balido (pt) m
• Russian: бле́янье (ru) n (bléjanʹje) / бле́яние (ru) n (bléjanije)
• Spanish: (sheep's bleat) balido (es) m
• Swedish: bräkande (sv) n
• Tagalog: mee, me (tl)
• Turkish: me (tr), meleme (tr)

Verb

bleat (third-person singular simple present bleats, present participle bleating, simple past and past participle bleated)

1. Of a sheep or goat, to make its characteristic cry; of a human, to mimic this sound.
   • 1936, Rollo Ahmed, The Black Art, London: Long, page 99:

     In the year 1633, the Bridget Nuns, near Xanthus, behaved like sheep, jumping about and bleating continuously.

2. (informal, derogatory) Of a person, to complain.

   The last thing we need is to hear them bleating to us about organizational problems.

Synonyms

• (make the characteristic cry of a sheep or goat): baa
• (complain): kvetch (US), moan, whinge (UK), whine

Translations

to make the cry of a sheep or goat

• Arabic: مَأْمَأَ‎ (maʔmaʔa), ثَغَا‎ (ṯaḡā)
• Bulgarian: блея (bleja)
• Catalan: belar (ca)
• Czech: bečet (cs) impf
• Danish: bræge, mæe
• Dutch: blaten (nl), blèren (nl)
• Esperanto: bei
• Faroese: jarma
• Finnish: määkiä (fi) (sheep), päkättää (goat)
• French: (sheep or goat) bêler (fr), (goat) bégueter (fr), chevroter (fr)
• Galician: bradar (gl)
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: blöken (de)
• Greek: βελάζω (el) (velázo)

  Ancient: βληχάομαι (blēkháomai)

• Hebrew: פעה‎ (he) (pa'á), חנב‎ (he) (chanáv)
• Icelandic: jarma (is)
• Ido: bramar (io)
• Italian: belare (it)
• Latgalian: vēkšt
• Latin: bālō
• Latvian: blēt
• Malay: mengembek
• Middle English: bleten
• Old English: blǣtan
• Polish: beczeć (pl) impf
• Portuguese: balir (pt)
• Russian: бле́ять (ru) (bléjatʹ)
• Spanish: balar (es)
• Swedish: bräka (sv)
• Tagalog: mumee
• Turkish: melemek (tr)
• Westrobothnian: rämi, mäkker, mäkär

informal: to complain

• Finnish: marista (fi)
• French: rouspéter (fr)
• German: blöken (de)
• Greek: βελάζω (el) (velázo)
• Ido: bramar (io)
• Polish: beczeć (pl) impf
• Russian: бле́ять (ru) (bléjatʹ)

Anagrams

• ablet, blate, table

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *blaut, from Proto-Germanic *blautaz, whence also Old High German blōz (“naked”), Old Norse blautr. More at blouse.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /blæ͜ɑːt/

Adjective

blēat

1. wretched

Declension

Declension of blēat — Strong

Singular	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	blēat	blēat	blēat
Accusative	blēatne	blēate	blēat
Genitive	blēates	blēatre	blēates
Dative	blēatum	blēatre	blēatum
Instrumental	blēate	blēatre	blēate
Plural	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	blēate	blēata, blēate	blēat
Accusative	blēate	blēata, blēate	blēat
Genitive	blēatra	blēatra	blēatra
Dative	blēatum	blēatum	blēatum
Instrumental	blēatum	blēatum	blēatum

Declension of blēat — Weak

Singular	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	blēata	blēate	blēate
Accusative	blēatan	blēatan	blēate
Genitive	blēatan	blēatan	blēatan
Dative	blēatan	blēatan	blēatan
Instrumental	blēatan	blēatan	blēatan
Plural	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	blēatan	blēatan	blēatan
Accusative	blēatan	blēatan	blēatan
Genitive	blēatra, blēatena	blēatra, blēatena	blēatra, blēatena
Dative	blēatum	blēatum	blēatum
Instrumental	blēatum	blēatum	blēatum

Descendants

• Middle English: *blete, *bleet
  • Scots: bleat, blait, bleet

West Frisian

Etymology

From Old Frisian blāt, from Proto-Germanic *blautaz.

Adjective

bleat

1. bare, naked
2. poor

Inflection

Inflection of bleat
uninflected	bleat
inflected	bleate
comparative	bleater
		positive	comparative	superlative
predicative/adverbial		bleat	bleater	it bleatst it bleatste
indefinite	c. sing.	bleate	bleatere	bleatste
	n. sing.	bleat	bleater	bleatste
	plural	bleate	bleatere	bleatste
definite		bleate	bleatere	bleatste
partitive		bleats	bleaters	—

Further reading

• “bleat (I)”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011