blade

B2 Topic:Tools, Machines & Construction

US /bleɪd/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like braid /l/ vs /r/

Freq #3709

Meanings

1

noun
The flat, sharp cutting part of a knife, sword, or tool.

He sharpened the blade of his knife before cooking.
2

noun
A flat part of something like a propeller, oar, or fan.

One of the blades of the fan was bent.
3

noun
A single thin, flat leaf of grass.

A single blade of grass stuck to her shoe.

Thesaurus

Word family

Forms blades

Derived forms axebladeblade-outbladebonebladebreakerbladejobbladelessbladeletbladelikebladepointbladerunnerbladesmithbladesmithing

Appears in

Phrases (2)

See all

razor blade
the thin cutting blade fitted to a razor

Noun + noun
rudder blade
the flat vertical part of a rudder that turns a vessel

Noun + noun

Simplified etymology

Blade comes from Germanic-rooted Old English blæd, whose main senses were “leaf of a plant” and the flat part of an oar, sword, or similar object. By Middle English it distinguished a knife’s cutting part from its handle, and soon afterward it also became a general term for a weapon.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₃-der. Proto-Germanic *bladą Proto-West Germanic *blad Old English blæd Middle English bladder. Middle English blade English blade From Middle English blade, blad, from Old English blæd (“leaf”), from Proto-West Germanic *blad, from Proto-Germanic *bladą, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰl̥h₃-o-to-m, from *bʰleh₃- (“to thrive, bloom”). See also West Frisian bled, Dutch blad, German Blatt, Danish blad, Irish bláth (“flower”), Welsh blodyn (“flower”), Tocharian A pält, Tocharian B pilta (“leaf”), Albanian fletë (“leaf”). Similar usage in German Sägeblatt (“saw…

*bʰleh₃- Proto-Indo-European blade Middle English blæd Old English *blad Proto-West Germanic *bladą Proto-Germanic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Tools, Machines & Construction

External links

# blade

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /bleɪd/
**Frequency rank:** 3709

## Meanings
1. The flat, sharp cutting part of a knife, sword, or tool.
2. A flat part of something like a propeller, oar, or fan.
3. A single thin, flat leaf of grass.

## Examples
- He sharpened the blade of his knife before cooking.
- One of the blades of the fan was bent.
- A single blade of grass stuck to her shoe.

## Derived Forms
- axeblade
- blade-out
- bladebone
- bladebreaker
- bladejob
- bladeless
- bladelet
- bladelike
- bladepoint
- bladerunner
- bladesmith
- bladesmithing

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *bʰleh₃-
- Root: blade
- Root: blæd
- Root: *blad
- Root: *bladą

## Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₃-der. Proto-Germanic *bladą Proto-West Germanic *blad Old English blæd Middle English bladder. Middle English blade English blade From Middle English blade, blad, from Old English blæd (“leaf”), from Proto-West Germanic *blad, from Proto-Germanic *bladą, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰl̥h₃-o-to-m, from *bʰleh₃- (“to thrive, bloom”). See also West Frisian bled, Dutch blad, German Blatt, Danish blad, Irish bláth (“flower”), Welsh blodyn (“flower”), Tocharian A pält, Tocharian B pilta (“leaf”), Albanian fletë (“leaf”). Similar usage in German Sägeblatt (“saw…

## AI Etymology
Blade comes from Middle English blade, blad, from Old English blæd (“leaf”), from Proto-West Germanic *blad, from Proto-Germanic *bladą, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰl̥h₃-o-to-m, from *bʰleh₃- (“to thrive, bloom”). See also West Frisian bled, Dutch blad, German Blatt, Danish blad, Irish bláth (“flower”), Welsh blodyn (“flower”), Tocharian A pält, Tocharian B pilta (“leaf”), Albanian fletë (“leaf”). Blade follows a historical chain through Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₃-, Proto-Germanic *bladą, Proto-West Germanic *blad, Old English blæd, Middle English blad, Middle English blade, English blade.

## Topics
- Tools, Machines & Construction

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