blondus

Latin

Alternative forms

blundus

Etymology

Found in Medieval Latin, of uncertain origin, though usually considered Germanic. A theoretical Proto-Germanic *blundaz (perhaps meaning “mixed, variegated”) could be derived from Proto-Indo-European *bʰlendʰ- (“to become turbid, go blind”) or, as Watkins suggests, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- (“to shine”).^[1]^[2] However, as no such word is attested in any Germanic language (English blond, German blond, etc., all being borrowings from Old French), the Germanic theory mainly rests on the lack of another plausible derivation.

Also compare Sanskrit ब्रध्न (bradhna, “yellowish”), considered to be related.^[3]

Pronunciation

(Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈblon.dus/, [ˈbɫ̪ɔn̪d̪ʊs̠]
(modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈblon.dus/, [ˈblɔn̪d̪us]

Adjective

blondus (feminine blonda, neuter blondum); first/second-declension adjective

(Medieval Latin) blond.

Declension

First/second-declension adjective.

	masculine	feminine	neuter	masculine	feminine	neuter
	singular			plural
nominative	blondus	blonda	blondum	blondī	blondae	blonda
genitive	blondī	blondae	blondī	blondōrum	blondārum	blondōrum
dative	blondō	blondae	blondō	blondīs
accusative	blondum	blondam	blondum	blondōs	blondās	blonda
ablative	blondō	blondā	blondō	blondīs
vocative	blonde	blonda	blondum	blondī	blondae	blonda

Descendants

French: blond
- Catalan: blond
- English: blond
- Occitan: blon
- Spanish: blondo
Galloitalic:
- Ligurian: biondo
- Lombard: biond
- Piedmontese: biond
- Emilian-Romagnol: biond
Italian: biondo
- Friulian: biont
Sicilian: brunnu
Venetan: biondo

References

"blondus", in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
"blundus", in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)

^ Douglas Harper (2001–2025) “blond”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
^ “blond”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016, →ISBN.
^ van der Sijs, Nicoline, editor (2010), “blond”, in Etymologiebank, Meertens Institute

[1] Douglas Harper (2001–2025) “blond”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

[2] “blond”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016, →ISBN.

[3] van der Sijs, Nicoline, editor (2010), “blond”, in Etymologiebank, Meertens Institute

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