An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/blank

by Friedrich Kluge

blank, adj., ‘bright, drawn (of a sword),’ from the MidHG. blanc, OHG. blanch, ‘gleaming, white, resplendently beautiful.’ Comp. E. blank (‘white’), (AS. blanca, blonca, OIc. blakkr, ‘white or grey horse’); related to OIc. blakra, ‘to gleam’; formed by gradation from the root blek in Blitz (comp. also blecken). The adj. made its way into Rom. (Ital. bianco, Fr. blanc), whence Blankett with a Rom. suffix; comp. also blasen. The less frequent blink — a recent formation from the verb — is found as a parallel form to blank in ModHG.