1230, from O.Fr. blanc "white, shining," from Frank. *blank "white, gleaming," of W.Gmc. origin (cf. O.E. blanca "white horse"), from P.Gmc. *blangkaz, from PIE *bhleg- "to shine" (see bleach). Originally "colorless," meaning "having empty spaces" evolved c.1400. Sense of "void of expression" (a blank look) is from 1553. The noun in the sense of "empty space" (in a document, etc.) is from c.1570.
(of a surface) not written or printed on; "blank pages"; "fill in the blank spaces"; "a clean page"; "wide white margins"
2.
void of expression; "a blank stare"
3.
not charged with a bullet; "a blank cartridge"
noun
1.
a blank character used to separate successive words in writing or printing; "he said the space is the most important character in the alphabet" [syn: space]
Point Blank, TX (city, FIPS 58556) Location: 30.74592 N, 95.21678 W Population (1990): 443 (372 housing units) Area: 4.9 sq km (land), 0.8 sq km (water)
Bar\ (b[aum]r), n. [OE. barre, F. barre, fr. LL. barra, W. bar the branch of a tree, bar, baren branch, Gael. & Ir. barra bar. [root]91.]1. A piece of wood, metal, or other material, long in proportion to its breadth or thickness, used as a lever and for various other purposes, but especially for a hindrance, obstruction, or fastening; as, the bars of a fence or gate; the bar of a door. Thou shalt make bars of shittim wood. --Ex. xxvi. 26. 2. An indefinite quantity of some substance, so shaped as to be long in proportion to its breadth and thickness; as, a bar of gold or of lead; a bar of soap. 3. Anything which obstructs, hinders, or prevents; an obstruction; a barrier. Must I new bars to my own joy create? --Dryden. 4. A bank of sand, gravel, or other matter, esp. at the mouth of a river or harbor, obstructing navigation. 5. Any railing that divides a room, or office, or hall of assembly, in order to reserve a space for those having special privileges; as, the bar of the House of Commons. 6. (Law) (a) The railing that incloses the place which counsel occupy in courts of justice. Hence, the phrase at the bar of the court signifies in open court. (b) The place in court where prisoners are stationed for arraignment, trial, or sentence. (c) The whole body of lawyers licensed in a court or district; the legal profession. (d) A special plea constituting a sufficient answer to plaintiff's action. 7. Any tribunal; as, the bar of public opinion; the bar of God. 8. A barrier or counter, over which liquors and food are passed to customers; hence, the portion of the room behind the counter where liquors for sale are kept. 9. (Her.) An ordinary, like a fess but narrower, occupying only one fifth part of the field. 10. A broad shaft, or band, or stripe; as, a bar of light; a bar of color. 11. (Mus.) A vertical line across the staff. Bars divide the staff into spaces which represent measures, and are themselves called measures. Note: A double bar marks the end of a strain or main division of a movement, or of a whole piece of music; in psalmody, it marks the end of a line of poetry. The term bar is very often loosely used for measure, i.e., for such length of music, or of silence, as is included between one bar and the next; as, a passage of eight bars; two bars' rest. 12. (Far.) pl. (a) The space between the tusks and grinders in the upper jaw of a horse, in which the bit is placed. (b) The part of the crust of a horse's hoof which is bent inwards towards the frog at the heel on each side, and extends into the center of the sole. 13. (Mining) (a) A drilling or tamping rod. (b) A vein or dike crossing a lode. 14. (Arch.) (a) A gatehouse of a castle or fortified town. (b) A slender strip of wood which divides and supports the glass of a window; a sash bar. Bar shoe (Far.), a kind of horseshoe having a bar across the usual opening at the heel, to protect a tender frog from injury. Bar shot, a double headed shot, consisting of a bar, with a ball or half ball at each end; -- formerly used for destroying the masts or rigging in naval combat. Bar sinister (Her.), a term popularly but erroneously used for baton, a mark of illegitimacy. See Baton. Bar tracery (Arch.), ornamental stonework resembling bars of iron twisted into the forms required. Blank bar (Law). See Blank. Case at bar (Law), a case presently before the court; a case under argument. In bar of, as a sufficient reason against; to prevent. Matter in bar, or Defence in bar, a plea which is a final defense in an action. Plea in bar, a plea which goes to bar or defeat the plaintiff's action absolutely and entirely. Trial at bar (Eng. Law), a trial before all the judges of one the superior courts of Westminster, or before a quorum representing the full court.
Blanch\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Blanched; p. pr. & vb. n. Blanching.] [OE. blanchen, blaunchen, F. blanchir, fr. blanc white. See Blank, a.]1. To take the color out of, and make white; to bleach; as, to blanch linen; age has blanched his hair. 2. (Gardening) To bleach by excluding the light, as the stalks or leaves of plants, by earthing them up or tying them together. 3. (Confectionery & Cookery) (a) To make white by removing the skin of, as by scalding; as, to blanch almonds. (b) To whiten, as the surface of meat, by plunging into boiling water and afterwards into cold, so as to harden the surface and retain the juices. 4. To give a white luster to (silver, before stamping, in the process of coining.). 5. To cover (sheet iron) with a coating of tin. 6. Fig.: To whiten; to give a favorable appearance to; to whitewash; to palliate. Blanch over the blackest and most absurd things. --Tillotson. Syn: To Blanch, Whiten. Usage: To whiten is the generic term, denoting, to render white; as, to whiten the walls of a room. Usually (though not of necessity) this is supposed to be done by placing some white coloring matter in or upon the surface of the object in question. To blanch is to whiten by the removal of coloring matter; as, to blanch linen. So the cheek is blanched by fear, i. e., by the withdrawal of the blood, which leaves it white.
Blank\, a. [OE. blank, blonc, blaunc, blaunche, fr. F. blanc, fem. blanche, fr. OHG. blanch shining, bright, white, G. blank; akin to E. blink, cf. also AS. blanc white. ?98. See Blink, and cf. 1st Blanch.]1. Of a white or pale color; without color. To the blank moon Her office they prescribed. --Milton. 2. Free from writing, printing, or marks; having an empty space to be filled in with some special writing; -- said of checks, official documents, etc.; as, blank paper; a blank check; a blank ballot. 3. Utterly confounded or discomfited. Adam . . . astonied stood, and blank. --Milton. 4. Empty; void; without result; fruitless; as, a blank space; a blank day. 5. Lacking characteristics which give variety; as, a blank desert; a blank wall; destitute of interests, affections, hopes, etc.; as, to live a blank existence; destitute of sensations; as, blank unconsciousness. 6. Lacking animation and intelligence, or their associated characteristics, as expression of face, look, etc.; expressionless; vacant. "Blank and horror-stricken faces." --C. Kingsley. The blank . . . glance of a half returned consciousness. --G. Eliot. 7. Absolute; downright; unmixed; as, blank terror. Blank bar (Law), a plea put in to oblige the plaintiff in an action of trespass to assign the certain place where the trespass was committed; -- called also common bar. Blank cartridge, a cartridge containing no ball. Blank deed. See Deed. Blank door, or Blank window (Arch.), a depression in a wall of the size of a door or window, either for symmetrical effect, or for the more convenient insertion of a door or window at a future time, should it be needed. Blank indorsement (Law), an indorsement which omits the name of the person in whose favor it is made; it is usually made by simply writing the name of the indorser on the back of the bill. Blank line (Print.), a vacant space of the breadth of a line, on a printed page; a line of quadrats. Blank tire (Mech.), a tire without a flange. Blank tooling. See Blind tooling, under Blind. Blank verse. See under Verse. Blank wall, a wall in which there is no opening; a dead wall.
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Audio Help [blangk] Pronunciation Key adjective, -er, -est, noun, verb 
