bleak

bleak
bleak (adj.) c.1300, "pale," from O.N. bleikr "pale, whitish, blond," from P.Gmc. *blaika- "shining, white," from PIE root *bhel- (1) "to shine, flash, burn" (see BLEACH (Cf. bleach) (v.)). Later "bare, windswept" (1530s). Sense of "cheerless" is c.1719 figurative extension. The same Germanic root produced O.E. blac "pale," but this died out, probably from confusion with blæc "black;" however bleak persisted, with a sense of "bare" as well as "pale."

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • bleak — [ blik ] adjective * 1. ) without any reasons to feel happy or hopeful: Things look very bleak for the team. Textile workers face a bleak future. paint a bleak picture (=say that the situation is not hopeful): The survey paints a bleak picture of …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • Bleak — (bl[=e]k), a. [OE. blac, bleyke, bleche, AS. bl[=a]c, bl[=ae]c, pale, wan; akin to Icel. bleikr, Sw. blek, Dan. bleg, OS. bl[=e]k, D. bleek, OHG. pleih, G. bleich; all from the root of AS. bl[=i]can to shine; akin to OHG. bl[=i]chen to shine; cf …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Bleak — may refer to:* a kind of fish ** Common Bleak ** Danube Bleak ** Italian Bleak * Bleak (band) * David B. Bleakee also* Bleek …   Wikipedia

  • bleak — [bli:k] adj [Date: 1300 1400; : Old Norse; Origin: bleikr pale, white ] 1.) without anything to make you feel happy or hopeful a bleak future/prospect ▪ The company still hopes to find a buyer, but the future looks bleak . 2.) cold and without… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • Bleak — Bleak, n. [From {Bleak}, a., cf. {Blay}.] (Zo[ o]l.) A small European river fish ({Leuciscus alburnus}), of the family Cyprinid[ae]; the blay. [Written also {blick}.] [1913 Webster] Note: The silvery pigment lining the scales of the bleak is used …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • bleak — UK US /bliːk/ adjective ► not giving much hope for the future: »Their long term prospects appear bleak. »In a bleak assessment of the coming months, they said market conditions were almost certain to remain challenging …   Financial and business terms

  • bleak — bleak·ly; bleak·ness; bleak; …   English syllables

  • bleak — bleak1 [blēk] adj. [ME bleik < ON bleikr, pale: see BLEACH] 1. exposed to wind and cold; unsheltered; treeless; bare 2. cold and cutting; harsh 3. not cheerful; gloomy; dreary 4. not promising or hopeful [a bleak future] …   English World dictionary

  • bleak — [adj1] barren austere, bare, blank, blighted, bombed, bulldozed, burned, chilly, cleared, cold, deforested, desert, deserted, desolate, dreary, exposed, flat, gaunt, grim, open, raw, scorched, stripped, unpopulated, unsheltered, weather beaten,… …   New thesaurus

  • bleak — I (exposed and barren) adjective bare, barren, blank, cold, deserted, desolate, exposed, unpopulated, unsheltered, waste II (not favorable) adjective dark, depressing, disheartening, dismal, distressing, forbidding, gloomy, grave, grim,… …   Law dictionary

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