I. ˈblaŋk, -aiŋk adjective
( usually -er/-est )
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French blanc, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German blanch shining, bright, white, Old English blanca white horse, Old Norse blakkr; akin to Latin flagrare to burn — more at black
1. archaic : of a white or pale color : lacking color
2.
a. archaic : lacking resource or answer : disconcerted : taken aback : abashed
the Damsel of Burgundy at sight of her own letter was soon blank — John Milton
b. of emotions : overmastering , intense , sheer : lacking relief or break
watched with blank awe
blank terror gripped them
c. of expressions : lacking animation as though dazed, confounded, or nonplused
her face blank with wonder
3.
a. : devoid of interest or event, of variety or change, or of affections or hopes
a blank prospect
if it is a bad day, he can occupy his blank hours looking at the scenery — Michael Warr
b. : devoid of covering or content : unoccupied , unfilled
a blank space
c. : free from writing or marks — used of paper or other substances normally written on
give me a blank sheet to do my sums
d. : having an empty space or spaces to be filled in with some special writing
a blank application form
a blank check
e. : blind 6d
f.
(1) : lacking some critical ingredient
a blank solution used as a control
(2) : involving the use of such a blank substance (as in analysis or pharmacological experimentation)
a blank test
a blank run
g.
(1) : lacking any card : void
a blank suit
he was blank in spades
(2) : containing no valuable cards : worthless
a blank hand
4. : absolute , downright , unmixed
the blank impossibilities of Lilliput — Thomas De Quincey
5. : having a plain or unbroken surface where an opening, finish, or other interruption of continuity is usual: as
a. of a key : not yet having had the slots made
b. of an architectural feature : lacking the opening that is characteristic of such a feature
a blank arch
blank window over a stair well
6. : of a kind denoted euphemistically or for the occasion by a blank (sense) 4 — often used as a substitute for an abusive or imprecatory epithet
you blank idiot
or for something (as a date or address) that one cannot or is unwilling to supply
when the blank regiment was transferred to Ireland
Synonyms: see empty
II. noun
( -s )
1.
a. : an empty space on a paper or in any written or printed instrument
leave a blank for his signature
b. : a paper with spaces left to be filled with desired or appropriate data (as names, dates, descriptions) ; especially : a paper containing the substance of a document or legal instrument (as a deed, release, or charter) with spaces to be filled in before execution
a deed made out in blank
c. : a sheet, card, leaf, or other object without printing, writing, or other impression on it
this machine turns out few blanks
2.
a. : an empty form without substance or significance
he is a mere blank of what he once was
b. : an empty place or space
my mind became a blank when I heard the question
c. : an empty interval ; especially : a period devoid of consciousness, interest, action, or result
a long blank in American history between the decline of the Mayans and the Aztec civilization
they say I talked rationally enough but for me the time after the accident was a total blank
d. : something useless, valueless, or undesirable ; specifically : a lottery ticket that does not win a prize — usually used as object of draw
3. : something aimed at ; specifically : the bull's-eye of a target
4. : a dash written or printed as a substitute for an omitted word — see blank I 6
5. archaic : blank verse
and rhyme and blank maintain an equal race — Lord Byron
6. : something in an unfinished or incomplete state that is designed for further working or manipulation: as
a. : a piece of flint or shell roughly blocked out for later shaping into a prehistoric tool
b. : a wooden gunstock before it is cut to receive the metal parts
c. : a piece of material prepared to be made into something (as a coin, key, screw, tile, or container) by a further operation ; especially : a small segment (as one produced by punching, sawing, or cleaving a large sheet, block, or billet) suitable for the production of a single finished piece (as a dowel, key, or button)
d. : an unrecorded lacquer disc
7. : blank determination
8. : any of certain cardboards made in standard thicknesses with a white or colored liner and combining stiffness and printability
9. : an old moneyers' unit of weight equal to 1/24 perit or 1/230400 grain
10.
a. : something lacking a critical element and used (as in experimental medicine or chemical analysis) to provide a control for comparison with the complete material ; especially : a solution for use in a blank determination
b. : blank cartridge
11. : a domino without any spots on one of its halves
12.
a. : an instance of having no cards in a specified suit : void
a blank in spades
b. : carte blanche
III. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
transitive verb
1. archaic
a. : nonplus , foil , disconcert
b. : to make void or ineffective : frustrate
2.
a. : obstruct , obscure , blot — usually used with out
an announcement apparently timed to blank out their opponents' claims of progress
b. : to seal (as an oil sand, a tunnel, or part of a pipeline) against the unwanted flow of oil or water — used with off
c. : to make (a radio or television signal) undetectable at the output for short periods of time in order to avoid undesirable effects (as return traces in a television receiver)
3.
a. : to indicate by a written or printed dash — compare blank II 4
b. : damn
blank him! that is just like him — Charles Reade
4. : to keep (an opposing team) from scoring
5. : to cut with a die from a sheet or flat piece of stock : form into blanks — often used with out
levers blanked out of strip steel
6. : to fill out with space (as a short line of type, a column, a page, or the nonprinting areas of a form) — often used with out
7. : blind II 4
intransitive verb
1. : to become obscure or tenuous : fade — usually used with out
laughter and music that blanked out as he passed on his way
2. : to become confused or distrait : black out
her mind seemed to have blanked out — Peggy Bennett
IV.
variant of blanc