blatant English · revision 2128

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈbleɪtənt/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It was coined by Edmund Spenser in ''The Faerie Queene'' (1596),^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)^(RHWU) in the phrase ''blatant beast''.^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) It may have been suggested by [[la|blatire|t=to babble]],^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) or by English ''blatter'' “to chatter”, from [[la|blaterare|t=to babble]].^(Barnhart 1995) The American Heritage Dictionary sees it as formed on the model of words such as ''rampant''.^(AHD)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ In Spenser's ''blatant beast'', a thousand-tongued monster standing for slander (1596).^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ By the 1650s it was in general use for people or speech that were noisy in a vulgar or offensive way,^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) and for loud bleating or bellowing.^(OED 1989) In the late 19th century (1889) the sense moved from the ear to the eye: glaringly or defiantly conspicuous.^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline) This is now the main meaning, as in ''a blatant lie''.^(RHWU)^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1596 – ''blatant beast'', in Spenser.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)

+ * 1610 – noun, one with a blatant tongue (obsolete).^(OED 1989)

+ * 1656 – noisy, offensively clamorous.^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline)

+ * 1889 – glaringly conspicuous.^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Completely obvious, without any attempt to hide it; flagrant.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Offensively loud or noisy; clamorous.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Tastelessly conspicuous.^(RHWU)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[blatancy]]

+ * [[blatantly]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[flagrant]]

+ * [[bleat]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Blatant'' and ''flagrant'' are often confused.^(AHD) ''Blatant'' stresses the failure to hide an act (''a blatant attempt to whitewash''), while ''flagrant'' stresses how serious the offence itself is (''a flagrant violation of human rights'').^(AHD) The American Heritage Dictionary advises against using ''blatant'' to mean simply “obvious”.^(AHD)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}