blanket

A2 Topic:General Vocabulary

US /ˈblæŋ.kɪt/ See IPA manual

Freq #4230

Meanings

1

noun
A thick, soft cover used to keep you warm, especially on a bed.

The baby was cold, so his mother put a blanket over him.
2

noun
A thick layer that covers something completely.

The city woke under a thick blanket of fog.
3

verb
To cover something completely with a thick layer.

A fresh layer of snow blanketed the whole area.
4

adj
Affecting or covering everyone or everything.

The company introduced a blanket ban on smoking.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

2 noun · a thick layer that covers... mantle

4 adj · affecting or covering... broad comprehensive sweeping

Word family

Forms blanketedblanketingblankets

Derived forms biliblanketblanket-bombblanket-coatblanket-stitchblanketflowerblanketlessblanketlikeblanketlyblanketmakerblanketmakingblanketmanblanketweed

Related forms comforterdoonaduvet quilt

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

security blanket
a blanket a child holds to feel safe and less anxious

Noun + noun

Simplified etymology

Blanket entered Middle English from a form related to French blanc, “white,” ultimately of Germanic origin. It originally denoted undyed, and therefore white, woollen cloth used for clothing.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English blanket, blonket, blaunket, from Old Northern French blanket, blancet (“white horse", also "white woollen cloth or flannel; a type of jacket”, literally “that which is white”) (whence Modern French blanchet), diminutive of blanc (“white”), of Germanic origin (compare Old English blanca (“white horse”); see more at blank). Furthermore, the sense "white woollen cloth" is likely a calque of Old English hwītel (“blanket; cloak, mantle”), from Old English hwīt (“white”) + -el (diminutive suffix). Compare also Old Norse hvítill (“a white bed-cover, sheet”), Norwegian kv…

blanket Middle English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

General Vocabulary

External links

# blanket

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** noun, verb, adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈblæŋ.kɪt/
**Frequency rank:** 4230

## Meanings
1. A thick, soft cover used to keep you warm, especially on a bed.
2. A thick layer that covers something completely.
3. To cover something completely with a thick layer.
4. Affecting or covering everyone or everything.

## Examples
- The baby was cold, so his mother put a blanket over him.
- The city woke under a thick blanket of fog.
- A fresh layer of snow blanketed the whole area.
- The company introduced a blanket ban on smoking.

## Derived Forms
- biliblanket
- blanket-bomb
- blanket-coat
- blanket-stitch
- blanketflower
- blanketless
- blanketlike
- blanketly
- blanketmaker
- blanketmaking
- blanketman
- blanketweed

## Related Forms
- comforter
- doona
- duvet
- quilt

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: blanket

## Etymology
Inherited from Middle English blanket, blonket, blaunket, from Old Northern French blanket, blancet (“white horse", also "white woollen cloth or flannel; a type of jacket”, literally “that which is white”) (whence Modern French blanchet), diminutive of blanc (“white”), of Germanic origin (compare Old English blanca (“white horse”); see more at blank). Furthermore, the sense "white woollen cloth" is likely a calque of Old English hwītel (“blanket; cloak, mantle”), from Old English hwīt (“white”) + -el (diminutive suffix). Compare also Old Norse hvítill (“a white bed-cover, sheet”), Norwegian kv…

## AI Etymology
Blanket is inherited from Middle English blanket, blonket, blaunket, from Old Northern French blanket, blancet (“white horse", also "white woollen cloth or flannel; a type of jacket”, literally “that which is white”) (whence Modern French blanchet), diminutive of blanc (“white”), of Germanic origin (compare Old English blanca (“white horse”); see more at blank). Furthermore, the sense "white woollen cloth" is likely a calque of Old English hwītel (“blanket; cloak, mantle”), from Old English hwīt (“white”) + -el (diminutive suffix).

## Topics
- General Vocabulary

markdown