Etymology From Middle English blinnen, from Old English blinnan (“to stop, cease”), from Proto-Germanic *bilinnaną (“to turn aside, swerve from”), from Proto-Indo-European *ley-, *leya- (“to deflect, turn away, vanish, slip”); equivalent to be- + lin. Cognate with Old High German bilinnan (“to yield, stop, forlet, give away”), Old Norse linna (Swedish dialectal linna, “to pause, rest”). See also lin.
nathemore for that spectacle bad, / Did th'other two their cruell vengeaunce blin [...].1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto V”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
One while the little foot page went, / And another while he ran; / Until he came to his journey's end / The little foot page never blan.1846, Moses Aaron Richardson, The Borderer's Table Book: Or, Gatherings of the Local History and Romance of the English and Scottish Border, VI, 46:
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A child may cry for half an hour, and never blin ; it may rain all day, and never blin ; the train ran 100 miles, and never blinned.1880, Margaret Ann Courtney, English Dialect Society, Glossary of words in use in Cornwall:
Thus blinned their boast, as we well ken1908, John Masefield, A sailor's garland:
Etymology From Middle English blinnen, from Old English blinnan (“to stop, cease”), from Proto-Germanic *bilinnaną (“to turn aside, swerve from”), from Proto-Indo-European *ley-, *leya- (“to deflect, turn away, vanish, slip”); equivalent to be- + lin. Cognate with Old High German bilinnan (“to yield, stop, forlet, give away”), Old Norse linna (Swedish dialectal linna, “to pause, rest”). See also lin.
Etymology From Russian блин (blin, “pancake, flat object”).
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A blintz or blini.
The cook raised an immense amount of dough for the bliny. […] “Hey, a blin for me!” one would call, holding out an empty plate with a hand dripping with butter and sour cream.1933, Alexandra Tolstoy, translated by Elena Varneck, The Tragedy of Tolstoy, Yale University Press, page 107:
Have a deep round buttered dish by the side of the stove and put each blin into this dish as it is ready; butter the blin, and place the next blin on top. When all the bliny are cooked, cover the dish with a cloth; it is not essential to serve them immediately.a. 1991, Jane Grigson, The Best of Jane Grigson: The Enjoyment of Food, London: Grub Street, published 1992, republished 2015, →ISBN:
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No one ever eats just one blin. This is probably why the singular of blini is unknown to most food aficionados, though they do know that these little thin pancakes, of either wheat or buckwheat, often accompany caviar. You wrap them around a little mound of it and dab the blin with sour cream. Royal Gourmet prepares wheat blini on order to go.1995 May 11, Linda Burum, “Markets: Eastern Europe Meets West Hollywood”, in Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, Calif.: Los Angeles Times Communications, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 18 May 2025, page H20, columns 2–4:
“But Papa, art requires sacrifices,” Olenka would say, standing up for Benedikt. / “The first blin is always lumpy,” Mother-in-law comforted. / “There you go, talking about bliny again! How come you only talk about one thing: bliny and more bliny! . . .”2003, Tatyana Tolstaya, translated by Jamey Gambrell, The Slynx, New York, N.Y.: The New York Review of Books, →ISBN:
“I made blini for all. My grandmother’s secret recipe from Odessa.[…]” / […] “Can’t you see Jordie is hurting?” / “That’s why I offered her a blin.”2006, Laurie Gwen Shapiro, Brand X: The Boyfriend Account, New York, N.Y.: Delacorte Press, Random House Children’s Books, →ISBN, page 140:
Medvedev took one of the blini from Bobby’s plate, spooned red caviar onto it, rolled the blin and wolfed it down. “The secret to drinking vodka, my friend, is eating, no?” / Bobby spooned black caviar onto a blin and downed it.2011, David Perlstein, Slick!, Bloomington, Ind.: iUniverse, Inc., →ISBN, pages 116–117: