An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/bleich

by Friedrich Kluge

bleich, adjective, ‘pale, wan,’ from the equivalent Middle High German bleich, Old High German bleih; compare Anglo-Saxon blâc, blœ̂ce, English bleak, Dutch bleek, Old Icelandic bleikr, ‘pale,’ from the root blik appearing in bleichen. Derivatives: Modern High German Bleiche, feminine, ‘bleaching, bleaching-yard, wan appearance’; bleichen, ‘to bleach, turn pale.’