blot

C2+ Topic:Space, Position & Direction

US /blɑt/ UK /blɒt/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like bloat /ɑ/ vs /oʊ/

noun verb

Meanings

1

noun
a dark stain or spot; to stain or to soak up liquid

A single ink blot ruined the carefully copied page.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a dark stain or spot; to... stain spot smudge blotch mark blemishsplotchtaint

Word family

Derived forms blottedblotterblottingblotty

Related forms blotch

Etymology

From Middle English blot, blotte ('spot, stain'), of uncertain origin, perhaps from Old Norse blettr ('blot, stain') or of imitative formation.

blettr Old Norse

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Space, Position & Direction

# blot

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** blɑt
**IPA (UK):** blɒt

## Meanings
1. a dark stain or spot; to stain or to soak up liquid

## Examples
- A single ink blot ruined the carefully copied page.

## Synonyms
- stain
- spot
- smudge
- blotch
- mark
- blemish
- splotch
- taint

## Derived Forms
- blotted
- blotter
- blotting
- blotty

## Related Forms
- blotch

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: blettr

## Etymology
From Middle English blot, blotte ('spot, stain'), of uncertain origin, perhaps from Old Norse blettr ('blot, stain') or of imitative formation.

## AI Etymology
Blot comes from Middle English blot, blotte ('spot, stain'), of uncertain origin, perhaps from Old Norse blettr ('blot, stain') or of imitative formation. The historical trail runs through blettr in Old Norse. Its formation is sound-symbolic rather than a regular transparent compound, with the older form echoing the sound named in the history. Used as a noun and verb, blot now means "a dark stain or spot; to stain or to soak up liquid", so the present definition can be read against the older forms and meanings. The same lexical family is also visible in derived forms such as blotted, blotter, blotting, and blotty and related forms such as blotch. That uncertainty is part of the entry: the safest account is the attested form and the limited comparisons preserved with it.

## Topics
- Space, Position & Direction

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blot

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