blek

Icelandic

Etymology

A borrowing from Old English blæc (“ink”). Compare Danish blæk (“ink”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /plɛːk/

  Rhymes: -ɛːk

Noun

blek n (genitive singular bleks, no plural)

1. ink
2. (figuratively) strong coffee

Declension

Declension of blek (sg-only neuter)

	singular
	indefinite	definite
nominative	blek	blekið
accusative	blek	blekið
dative	bleki	blekinu
genitive	bleks	bleksins

Further reading

• “blek” in the Dictionary of Modern Icelandic (in Icelandic) and ISLEX (in the Nordic languages)

Indonesian

Etymology

From Javanese blek, from Dutch blik (“tin can”). Cognate to Japanese ブリキ (buriki, “tinplate”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /blɛk/
• Hyphenation: blèk

Noun

blek

1. (Java) can

   Synonym: kaleng

Further reading

• “blek”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology 1

From Old Norse bleikr.

Alternative forms

• bleik

Adjective

blek (neuter singular blekt, definite singular and plural bleke, comparative blekere, indefinite superlative blekest, definite superlative blekeste)

1. pale

Derived terms

• likblek

Etymology 2

Verb

blek

1. imperative of bleke

References

• “blek” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Polabian

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle Low German blek

Noun

blek m inan

1. town, small city

References

• Lehr-Spławiński, T.; Polański, K. (1962), “blek”, in Słownik etymologiczny języka Drzewian połabskich [Etymological Dictionary of the Polabian Drevani Language] (in Polish), number 1 (A – ďüzd), Wrocław; Warszawa etc.: Ossolineum, page 37
• Polański, Kazimierz; James Allen Sehnert (1967), “blek”, in Polabian-English Dictionary, The Hague, Paris: Mouton & Co, page 36
• Olesch, Reinhold (1962), “Bläk”, in Thesaurus Linguae Dravaenopolabicae [Thesaurus of the Drevani language] (in German), volumes 1: A – O, Cologne, Vienna: Böhlau Verlag, →ISBN, page 58

Swedish

Etymology

From Old Norse bleikr, from Proto-Germanic *blaikaz.

Cognate with English bleak, Dutch bleek, Low German blek, German bleich, Danish bleg, Norwegian Bokmål bleik, blek, Norwegian Nynorsk bleik, Faroese bleikur, Icelandic bleikur.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

blek (comparative blekare, superlative blekast)

1. pale (light in color)
2. livid, pallid, bleak
3. fictional, mendacious

Declension

Inflection of blek

Indefinite	positive	comparative	superlative1
common singular	blek	blekare	blekast
neuter singular	blekt	blekare	blekast
plural	bleka	blekare	blekast
masculine plural2	bleke	blekare	blekast
Definite	positive	comparative	superlative
masculine singular3	bleke	blekare	blekaste
all	bleka	blekare	blekaste

¹ The indefinite superlative forms are only used in the predicative.
² Dated or archaic.
³ Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine.

Related terms

• bleka
• blekfet
• blekmedel
• blekna
• bleknad
• blekt

Verb

blek

1. imperative of bleka