blate

[ bleyt ]

/ bleɪt /

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adjective Chiefly Scot.

bashful; shy.

QUIZ

ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?

We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.

Question 1 of 8

Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?

navy

beryl

azure

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Origin of blate

before 1000; Old English blāt livid, pallid, (of a sound) low (not found in ME)

OTHER WORDS FROM blate

blately, adverbblateness, noun

Words nearby blate

blastulation, blast wave, blat, blatant, blatantly, blate, blather, blatherskite, blatted, blatter, blaubok

Other definitions for blate (2 of 2)

blate²

[ bleyt ]

/ bleɪt /

Chiefly South Midland and Southern U.S.

verb (used without object), blat·ed, blat·ing.

bleat.

noun

bleat (def. 4).

Origin of blate

1855–60; perhaps dialectal variant of bleat (cf. great)

How to use blate in a sentence

We're no blate at askin' the lawin', although some folk are unco' slow at payin' o't. It's just four-and-six.
Scotch Wit and Humor|W. H. (Walter Henry) Howe
"You're too blate, Colin," he said, and then he put his arm through his wife's and gave her a squeeze to take her into his joke.
John Splendid|Neil Munro
He's 'no blate,' as they used to say in Scotland, and made himself quite at home to-night.
Wives and Daughters|Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell
But I dinna ken the way ot, father; I neer did sic a thing a my days; odd, Im unco blate to tryt.
The Entail|John Galt

But the compliment is like the chariot-wheels o Pharaoh, sae dreigh o drawing, that I canna afford to be blate wi you ony langer.
The Entail|John Galt