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Bleak

3 stages from Old Norse to English.

Today it means bare and exposed; cheerless

Where does the word "bleak" come from? It comes from Old Norse bleikr, passing through Middle English before entering English (1530s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
bleikr
Old Norse · medieval
"pale"
pale, whitish; Old English 'blāc' was a cousin
2
Stage 2 of 3
bleik
Middle English · 1300s
"pale"
pale, wan
3
Stage 3 of 3
bleak
English · 1530s
"desolate"
came to mean bare and windswept, then cheerless; Dickens's 'Bleak House' appeared in 1852
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Read the full story

Bleak’s story begins in Old Norse: bleikr meant “pale.” Pale, whitish; Old English 'blāc' was a cousin. By 1300s, the word had taken hold in Middle English as bleik. Pale, wan. It reached English by 1530s as bleak. Came to mean bare and windswept, then cheerless; Dickens's 'Bleak House' appeared in 1852. Today, bleak means bare and exposed; cheerless.