I. ˈblaŋ-kət noun
Etymology: Middle English white woolen cloth, bed covering, from Anglo-French blankete, from blanc white — more at blank
Date: 14th century
1.
a. : a large usually oblong piece of woven fabric used as a bed covering
b. : a similar piece of fabric used as a body covering (as for an animal)
a horse blanket
2. : something that resembles a blanket
a blanket of fog
a blanket of gloom
3. : a rubber or plastic sheet on the cylinder in an offset press that transfers the image to the surface being printed
• blan·ket·like -ˌlīk adjective
II. transitive verb
Date: 1605
1. : to cover with or as if with a blanket
new grass blanket s the slope
2.
a. : to cover so as to obscure, interrupt, suppress, or extinguish
blanket a fire with foam
b. : to interrupt the smooth flow of wind to (as a downwind ship)
c. : to apply or cause to apply to uniformly despite wide separation or diversity among the elements included
freight rates that blanket a region
d. : to cause to be included
automatically blanket ed into the insurance program
III. adjective
Date: 1886
1. : covering all members of a group or class
a blanket wage increase
2. : effective or applicable in all instances