- bleak
- c.1300, from O.N. bleikr "pale," from P.Gmc. *blaika- "shining, white," from PIE base *bhel- (1) "to shine, flash, burn" (see bleach). Sense of "cheerless" is c.1719 figurative extension. The same Germanic root produced O.E. blac "pale," but this died out, probably from confusion with blęc "black;" but bleikr persisted, with a sense of "bare" as well as "pale." Related: Bleakness (c.1600).