An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/blöde

by Friedrich Kluge

blöde, adj., ‘weak, dim-sighted, imbecile,’ from MidHG. blœde, ‘infirm, weak, tender, timid,’ OHG. blôdi, OSax. blôði, ‘timid.’ Comp. AS. bleáþ, ‘weak,’ OIc. blauþr; Goth. *blauþus, ‘weak, powerless,’ may be inferred from its deriv. wk. vb. blauþjan, ‘to render powerless, invalid, to abolish.’ According to the permutation of consonants, the pre-Teut. form of the adj. may have been bhláutu-s, with the primary meaning ‘powerless, weak.’ Yet the stem cannot be traced farther back. From this word Fr. éblouir, ‘to dazzle,’ is borrowed.