Nearby Words

bleakly

[bleek] Origin

bleak

1[bleek]
adjective, -er, -est.
1.
bare, desolate, and often windswept: a bleak plain.
2.
cold and piercing; raw: a bleak wind.
3.
without hope or encouragement; depressing; dreary: a bleak future.

Origin:
1300–50; Middle English bleke pale, blend of variants bleche (Old English blǣc) and blake (Old English blāc); both cognate with Old Norse bleikr, German bleich; akin to bleach

bleak·ish, adjective
bleak·ly, adverb
bleak·ness, noun


3. See austere.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To bleakly

:10

:09

:08

:07

:06

:05

:04

:03

:02

:01

Bleakly is always a great word to know.
So is lollapalooza. Does it mean:
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
Collins
World English Dictionary
bleak1 (bliːk)
 
adj
1.  exposed and barren; desolate
2.  cold and raw
3.  offering little hope or excitement; dismal: a bleak future
 
[Old English blāc bright, pale; related to Old Norse bleikr white, Old High German bleih pale]
 
'bleakly1
 
adv
 
'bleakness1
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

bleak
c.1300, from O.N. bleikr "pale," from P.Gmc. *blaika- "shining, white," from PIE base *bhel- (1) "to shine, flash, burn" (see bleach). Sense of "cheerless" is c.1719 figurative extension. The same Germanic root produced O.E. blac "pale," but this died out, probably from confusion
EXPAND
with blæc "black;" but bleikr persisted, with a sense of "bare" as well as "pale." Related: Bleakness (c.1600).
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature