Definition of BLATE

blate

Verb

  • cry plaintively
  • Archaic form of bleat.

Adjective Satellite

  • disposed to avoid notice; ; (`blate' is a Scottish term for bashful)

Adj

  • Bashful, sheepish.
  • Dull, stupid.

Adjective

  • Shy or timid; lacking self-confidence.

Examples

  • A BLATE player might hesitate to use their high-value letters, fearing a challenge.

Origin / Etymology

Borrowed from Scots blate (“timid, sheepish”), apparently a conflation of:
* Northern Middle English *blate, *blait (“pale, ghastly, terrified”), from Old English blāt (“pale, livid, ghastly”), from Proto-West Germanic *blait (“pale, discoloured”), from Proto-Germanic *blaitaz, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰleyd- (“pale, pallid”);
* Middle English bleth, bleath (“timid, soft”), from Old English blēaþ (“gentle, shy, cowardly, timid; slothful, inactive, effeminate”), from Proto-Germanic *blauþuz (“weak, timid, void, naked”).
Cognate with German blassen (“to make pale”), bleich (“pale, pallid”). More at bleak, bleach.

Synonyms

baa, bashful, blat, bleat

Scrabble Score: 7

blate: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
blate: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
blate: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 9

blate: valid Words With Friends Word