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Etymological Dictionary
blàth, warm, kind, Ir., E. Ir. bláith, soft, smooth, mláith, *mlâti‑; root mela, mlâ, to grind. The original idea is “ground soft”. Cf. W. blawd, meal.
blàthach, buttermilk, Ir., M. Ir. bláthach; mlā-tac-, root mel, mlâ, as in blàth. The idea is “pounded, soured”. Cf. braich, from mrac‑, “soured”, and Eng. malt, “soured”, from melt. Hence Sc. bladach.
bleachdair, a soothing, flattering fellow, Ir. bleachdaire, flatterer, cow-milker; a metaphoric use of the last word, “cow-milker”, from bliochd, milk, q.v.
bleagh, milk (vb.), Ir. blighim; see bleoghainn.
bleaghan, a dibble for digging up shell-fish, a worthless tool; possibly from Norse blað, Eng. blade.
bleid, impertinence, solicitation, Ir. bleid, cajolery, impertinence. This seems another word formed on the word bladair, blad, just like Eng. blatant, blate (talk, prate).
bleideir, coward; from Norse bleyði, cowardice, and Sc. blate(?).
bleith, grind, Ir. bleithim, E. Ir. bleith, inf. to O. Ir. melim, I grind, W. malu, Br. malaff; root mel, grind, Lat. molo, Eng. meal, etc.
bleoghainn, milking, E. Ir. blegon, inf. to bligim, mligim; Lat. mulgeo; Gr. ἀ-μέλγω; Eng. milk; Lit. mélżu.
bliadhna, year, Ir. bliadhain, O. Ir. bliadain, W. blydd, blwyddyn, Br. bloaz, blizen, *bleidni‑, *bleido‑; I. E. ꬶhleidh, whence Eng. glide: “labuntur anni” (Stokes). It is doubtful if I. E. ꬶh becomes Celtic b.
blialum, jargon; from the Sc. blellum.
blian, the flank, groin, Ir. bléin, E. Ir. blén, O. Ir. melen, for mleen, *mlakno-; Gr. μαλακός, soft (Strachan, Stokes). The meaning, if not the phonetics, is not quite satisfactory.
blian, lean, insipid, blianach, lean flesh; cf. W. blin, tired, O. Br. blinion, inertes. These may be referred to *ꬶleghno-, Lit. gleżnus, tender, weak, Gr. βληχρός, languid. See, however, the derivation suggested for blian, above. For the Brittonic words, Stokes has suggested the stem blêno‑; Skr. glána, tired.
bligh, milk; see bleagh.
bliochan, yellow marsh, asphodel, Ir. bliochan; from *blioch = *melgos‑, milk. For phonetics, cf. teach, from tegos‑.
bliochd, milk, Ir. bleachd, E. Ir. blicht, W. blith, *mḷctu‑, root melg, milk. See bleoghainn.
blìonadh, basking (Islands): “softening”? See blian.
bliosan, artichoke (Sh., O’B., O’R.), Ir. bliosán: *blig-s‑ān‑, "milk-curdler"? Its florets were used for curdling.
