An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/blind

by Friedrich Kluge

blind, adj. ‘blind’ from MidHG. blint(d), ‘blind, dark, murky, hidden, null,’ OHG. blint; comp. the corresponding Goth. blinds, AS. blind, E. blind. An ancient but very remarkable factitive form from this adj., with no parallel str. vb., is blenden (Goth. *blandjan). It is still undecided whether d is an old partic. suffix, like Gr. -τος, Lat. -tus, Sans. -tas; considering the meaning of the word, it might easily be connected with the Sans. root bhram, ‘to move unsteadily’ (partic. bhrântá-s). Yet its kinship with Lith. blandýti, ‘to cast down the eyes,’ blindo, blísti, ‘to grow dark,’ is more probable (comp. OIc. blunda, ‘to close, blink the eyes,’ E. to blunder). — Another word for ‘blind’ in the Aryan group is Lat. caecus, OIr. cáech; Goth. haihs, corresponding to these, means ‘one-eyed.’ It seems, moreover, that in the Aryan languages there were no terms for ‘blind, deaf, lame, dumb,’ and other infirmities, common to all of them; there is only an agreement between two or three languages at most.