Etymologically
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blanket

Etymology and origin of the English word blanket

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
c. 1300
Borrowed from
Old French blanchet
Ultimate origin
Old French (blanc)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈblæŋ.kɪt/; /ˈbleɪ̯ŋ.kɪt/, /ˈblɛ̃ŋ.kɪt/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English blaunket, borrowed from Old French blanchet (“light wool or flannel cloth”), blanquet,[2][3][4] a diminutive of blanc, white (see blank), which also meant a white cloth.[2][3][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Coarse white woollen stuff for clothing: about 1300, now obsolete.[3][6][2]

Semantic evolution

A bed covering is first recorded in 1303 (1346 in the OED),[3][6] and it was also used as a cover for horses.[2] Figurative use is from 1605.[6] The verb, to cover with a blanket, and to toss in a blanket as a punishment, is from about 1600.[2][5] A wet blanket, a person who dampens enjoyment, is from 1771.[6] As an adjective, covering many contingencies, as in a blanket clause, it is from 1885–86.[5][2] A blanket Indian (1859) was one who wore the traditional garment rather than Western dress.[2] A large number of bombs dropped over a wide area is from 1944.[6]

Timeline

  • c. 1300 – woollen stuff.[3]
  • 1303 – a bed covering.[3]
  • c. 1600 – the verb.[2]
  • 1771 – a wet blanket.[6]
  • 1886 – blanket clause.[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A large piece of thick woven cloth used as a covering for warmth, especially on a bed.
  2. A covering layer: a blanket of snow.

Adjective

  1. Covering all cases or conditions; comprehensive: a blanket ban.

Verb

  1. To cover with or as if with a blanket.
  2. To suppress or extinguish by covering.

Word family

  • blanketlike
  • blanketless
  • unblanketed
  • blanketflower
  • blanket-stitch
  • wet-blanket
  • blanket chest

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  4. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Blanket.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/blanket. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·