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”), Spanish blanco. More at blink, blind, blanch. Doublet of blanc.
To the blanc Moone / Her office they preſcrib'd,1667, John Milton, “Book IX”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC, lines 656–657:
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Free from writing, printing, or marks; having an empty space to be filled in.
blank paper
a blank check
3 more examples
a blank ballot
a blank CD
Referee Michael Oliver failed to detect a foul in a crowded box and the Canaries escaped down the tunnel with the scoreline still blank.2011 December 27, Mike Henson, “Norwich 0 - 2 Tottenham”, in BBC Sport:
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Figuratively Lacking characteristics which give variety; uniform.
a blank desert; a blank wall; blank unconsciousness
Figuratively Without expression, usually because of incomprehension.
Failing to understand the question, he gave me a blank stare.
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Utterly confounded or discomfited.
Adam […] Aſtonied ſtood and Blank,1667, John Milton, “Book VIII”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC, lines 888–890:
The recruits were issued blank rounds for a training exercise.
blank
noun
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”), Spanish blanco. More at blink, blind, blanch. Doublet of blanc.
Archaic, Historical, Obsolete A small French coin, originally of silver, afterwards of copper, worth 5 deniers; also a silver coin of Henry V current in the parts of France then held by the English, worth about 8 pence.
Whosoeuer brought a fagot before the kynges tent, he shulde haue a blanke of Fraunce.1523, Jean Froissart, transl. by John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Berners, Cronycles of Englande, Fraunce etc.:
The white spot in the centre of a target; hence (figuratively) the object to which anything is directed or aimed, the range of such aim.
Des. […] And stood within the blank of his displeasure / For my free speech! (Act III, scene 11)1603, William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice:
Kent. See better, Lear, and let me still remain / The true blank of thine eye. (Act I, scene 2)1606, William Shakespeare, King Lear:
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A lot by which nothing is gained; a ticket in a lottery on which no prize is indicated.
[…] and in Fortune's Lottery lies / A heap of Blanks, like this, for one ſmall Prize.1693, Decimus Junius Juvenalis, Thomas Creech, transl., “[The Satires of Decimus Junius Juvenalis.] The Satyr”, in The Satires of Decimus Junius Juvenalis. Translated into English Verse. […] Together with the Satires of Aulus Persius Flaccus. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson […], →OCLC, page 257:
› An empty space; a void, for example on a paper.
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A space to be filled in on a form or template.
Write your answers in the blanks.
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Provisional words printed in italics (instead of blank spaces) in a bill before Parliament, being matters of practical detail, of which the final form is to be settled in committee.
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US A document, paper, or form with spaces left blank to be filled in at the pleasure of the person to whom it is given (e.g. a blank charter, ballot, form, contract, etc.), or as the event may determine; a blank form.
[…] and the freemen signified their approbation by an inscribed vote, and their dissent by a blank.1859, John Gorham Palfrey, History of New England, volume 1:
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US An empty form without substance; anything insignificant; nothing at all.
Engineering, Mechanical engineering, Mechanics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences The shaved wax ready for placing on a recording machine for making wax records with a stylus.
Electric recording
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Figuratively A vacant space, place, or period; a void.
Du. And what's her hiſtory? Vio. A blanke my Lord:c. 1601–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Twelfe Night, or What You Will”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iv], page 263, column 1:
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The ¹ / ₂₃₀₄₀₀ of a grain.
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An empty space in one's memory; a forgotten item or memory.
My head is so ill that I cannot write a paper full as I used to do; and yet I will not forgive a blank of half an inch from you.1736, Jonathan Swift, Letters:
From this time there ensues a long blank in the history of French legislation.1818, Henry Hallam, View of the State of Europe During the Middle Ages:
1 more example
“I was ill. I can't tell how long — it was a blank. […]”1863, George Eliot, Romola:
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A dash written in place of an omitted letter or word.
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The space character; the character resulting from pressing the space bar on a keyboard.
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Dominoes, Games A domino without points on one or both of its divisions.
the double blank
the six blank
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Scrabble, Board games, Games A tile that can be played as any letter and having a point value of zero.
Chemistry, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, SportsFiguratively, In the expression ‘shooting blanks’ 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.
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Hobbies, Lifestyle, SportsFiguratively, Slang, In the expression ‘shooting blanks’ Infertile semen.
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Used as a substitute for a profanity.
The Beatles have fabulous music, a tough sound! Who gives a blank if they can read music!1965 January, Lou Sullivan, Letter to Keen Teen (unpublished, preserved in personal diary):
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”), Spanish blanco. More at blink, blind, blanch. Doublet of blanc.
Taylor Swift goes viral for blanking Celine Dion on stage at Grammys 2024 […] Taylor Swift received backlash for being 'disrespectful' by 'ignoring' Celine Dion while accepting the award for Album of the Year at the Grammys on Sunday.2024 February 4, Sonia Horon, “Taylor Swift goes viral for BLANKING Celine Dion on stage at Grammys 2024 after diva emerges from battle with stiff-person syndrome to present her with historic Album of the Year”, in dailymail.co.uk:
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Aeronautics, Aerospace, Aviation, Business, Engineering, Natural sciences, Physical sciencesOf a control surface To render ineffective by blanketing with turbulent airflow, such as from aircraft wake or reverse thrust.
At high angles of attack, the shuttle’s rudder is blanked by the fuselage and wings, forcing it to use its RCS thrusters for yaw control.
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To prevent from scoring; for example, in a sporting event.
The team was blanked.
England blanks Wales to advance to the final.
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To become blank.
In OPS 6, the 2 EO color field does blank at SSME fine count. Once in fine count in route to an RTLS MECO, the energy state is such that one engine can carry the orbiter though powered pitch-down to a healthy MECO condition with standard RTLS guidance.2007 February 14, NASA, “4.5.2 Two-Engine-Out Contingency Software Termination”, in Contingency Aborts 21007/31007, archived from the original on 08 Mar 2022, page 45:
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Informal To experience a temporary lapse of memory; to be temporarily unable to remember a particular fact. (Commonly used in the first person, present progressive tense, and commonly followed by on to create a transitive phrasal verb.)
I’m blanking on her name right now.
She asked him a simple question during the interview, and he blanked.