Added 9 October 2026
bleat
/ˈbliːt/ noun
In Latin: balatus Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about bleat at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- The sound of sheep or goats (or any sound resembling this).
verb
- Talk whiningly.
-
Cry plaintively.
The lambs were bleating
Origin
From Middle English bleten, from Old English blǣtan (“to bleat”), from Proto-West Germanic *blātijan, from Proto-Germanic *blētijaną (“to bleat”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₁- (“to howl, cry, bleat”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- (“to make a loud noise”). Cognate with Scots blete, bleit, West Frisian bâlte, blaaien, blêtsje (“to bleat”), Dutch blaten (“to bleat”), Low German bleten (“to bleat”), German blaßen, blässen (“to bleat”).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)