blandus

Latin

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *mland-, a nasalised variant of *meld-, extended form of *mel-. Cognate to Sanskrit मण्ड (maṇḍa, “cream; liquor; pleasantness; adornment, embellishment”). See mollis.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈblan.dus/, [ˈbɫ̪än̪d̪ʊs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈblan.dus/, [ˈblän̪d̪us]

Adjective

blandus (feminine blanda, neuter blandum, comparative blandior, adverb blandē or blanditer); first/second-declension adjective

1. pleasant, agreeable
2. enticing, seductive, alluring
   • 8 CE, Ovid, Fasti 4.99:

     quid genus omne creat volucrum, nisi blanda voluptās?

     What creates the whole race of birds, if not enticing pleasure? (trans. Anne and Peter Wiseman, 2011)

3. persuasive
4. fawning, flattering, smooth, suave

Declension

First/second-declension adjective.

	singular				plural
	masculine	feminine	neuter		masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	blandus	blanda	blandum		blandī	blandae	blanda
genitive	blandī	blandae	blandī		blandōrum	blandārum	blandōrum
dative	blandō	blandae	blandō		blandīs
accusative	blandum	blandam	blandum		blandōs	blandās	blanda
ablative	blandō	blandā	blandō		blandīs
vocative	blande	blanda	blandum		blandī	blandae	blanda

Derived terms

• blandē
• blandiflūus
• blandiloquus
• blandīmentum
• blandiō
• blandior
• blanditer
• blanditia
• blandities
• blandītor
• blandītus
• blandulus

 

Descendants

• Aromanian: blãndã
• Asturian: blandiu, llandio
• Catalan: bla
• → English: bland
• Galician: brando
• Italian: blando
• Occitan: bland
• Old French: blant
• Portuguese: brando
• Romanian: blând
• Spanish: blando

References

• “blandus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “blandus”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• blandus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• “blandus”, in William Smith, editor (1848), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, London: John Murray

Lithuanian

Adjective

blandus

1. misty, foggy
2. thick