Bleat

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -iːt

Alternative forms

• blate, blait Scotland

Origin

From Middle English bleten, from Old English blǣtan ("to bleat"), from Proto-Germanic *blētijaną ("to bleat"), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰlē- ("to howl, cry, bleat"). Cognate with Scots blete, bleit ("to bleat"), Saterland Frisian blēte, blētsje ("to bleat"), Dutch blaten, bleten ("to bleat"), Low German bleten ("to bleat"), German blaßen, blässen ("to bleat"); cf. Greek blekhe, Old Church Slavonic blejat, and also Latin fleō ("cry, weep").

Full definition of bleat

Noun

1. The characteristic cry of a sheep or a goat.

Synonyms

• (sheep's cry) baa, baaing, bleating

Verb

1. Of a sheep or goat, to make its characteristic cry.
2. (informal) Of a person, to complain.The last thing we need is to hear them bleating to us about organizational problems.

Synonyms

• (1): baa
• (2): kvetch (US), moan, whinge (British), whine

Anagrams

• ablet
• blate
• table