bleu

Albanian

Verb

bleu

1. third-person singular aorist indicative of blej

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle French bleu. Doublet of blauw.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

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Adjective

bleu (comparative bleuer, superlative bleust)

1. timid, shy

   Synonyms: beschroomd, bedeesd, schroomvallig, schuchter, schuw, timide, verlegen

Declension

Declension of bleu
uninflected	bleu
inflected	bleu
comparative	bleuer
		positive	comparative	superlative
predicative/adverbial		bleu	bleuer	het bleust het bleuste
indefinite	m./f. sing.	bleu	bleuere	bleuste
	n. sing.	bleu	bleuer	bleuste
	plural	bleu	bleuere	bleuste
definite		bleu	bleuere	bleuste
partitive		bleus	bleuers	—

Derived terms

• bleuheid

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /blø/

• Audio; “un bleu”:

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• Audio; “du bleu”:

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• Audio (Belgium); “le bleu”:

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• Audio (France (Agen)):

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• Audio (France (Saint-Maurice-de-Beynost)):

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• Audio (Canada (Shawinigan)):

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• Audio (Switzerland (Valais)):

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• Audio (France (Paris)):

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• Audio (France (Toulouse)):

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• Audio (France (Vosges)):

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• Audio (France (Saint-Étienne)):

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• Audio (France (Lyon)):

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• Audio (France (Somain)):

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• Homophones: bleue, bleus, bleues

Etymology 1

Inherited from Middle French bleu, from Old French blöe, bleve, blef, bleu (“blue”), from Late Latin blāvus, from Frankish *blāu (“blue”), from Proto-Germanic *blēwaz (“blue”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰléh₁-, *bʰlh₁-, *bʰleh₁- (“yellow, grey, blue”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- (“to shine”). Cognate with Old High German blāo (“blue”) (German blau), Dutch blauw (“blue”), Old English blāw (“blue”). More at blue.

Adjective

bleu (feminine bleue, masculine plural bleus, feminine plural bleues)

1. blue

   Le ciel est bleu. ― The sky is blue.

2. (of meat) very rare, underdone

Derived terms

Direct derivatives

• bleuâtre
• bleuet
• bleueur m
• bleueur f
• bleuir (verb)
  • bleuissement
• bleusaille
• bleuter (verb)
  • bleuté

Compounds / fixed expressions

• baleine bleue
• Barbe-Bleue
• bleu, blanc et rouge
• carte bleue
• casque bleu
• chardon bleu des Pyrénées
• cordon bleu
• fleur bleue
• fleuve Bleu
• géante bleue
• Grande Bleue
• heure bleue
• peur bleue
• requin bleu
• rorqual bleu
• sang bleu
• supergéante bleue
• vin bleu

Subcolor compounds

• bleu canard
• bleu ciel
• bleu de Chartres
• bleu de Prusse
• bleu électrique
• bleu marine
• bleu nuit
• bleu pétrole
• bleu roi
• bleu verdâtre
• bleu-vert

Noun

bleu m (plural bleus)

1. the color blue
2. blue cheese

   Le bleu ressemble au roquefort. ― Blue cheese looks like Roquefort.

3. rookie, new recruit, raw recruit

   Ce soldat est un vrai bleu. ― This soldier is a real rookie.

4. bruise

   Synonyms: ecchymose, contusion

   Il est tombé et a maintenant un bleu. ― He fell over and now has a bruise.

5. (billiards, snooker) billiard chalk

   Synonym: craie

6. (dated) a lightweight letter format intended for pneumatic delivery and later for airmail
7. (Canada) a supporter of the Conservative Party
8. (US) a supporter of the Democratic Party

Derived terms

• gros bleu
• petit bleu

Descendants

• Guianese Creole: blé
• Haitian Creole: ble
• Louisiana Creole: blé, ble
• Mauritian Creole: ble
• Réunion Creole French: blé
• → Greek: μπλε (ble)
• → Istriot: blu
• → Italian: blu
• → Ladino: blö

See also

Colors in French · couleurs (layout · text)

blanc	gris	noir
rouge; cramoisi, carmin	orange; brun, marron	jaune; crème
lime	vert	menthe
cyan, turquoise; bleu canard	azur, bleu ciel	bleu
violet, lilas; indigo	magenta; pourpre	rose

• turquoise
• outremer

Etymology 2

Euphemism for Dieu (“God”).

Interjection

bleu

1. (minced oath, euphemistic) God; only used in corbleu, jarnibleu, morbleu, nom de bleu, palsambleu / parsambleu, parbleu, sacrebleu, ventrebleu, and vertubleu

Further reading

• “bleu”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

German

Etymology

Borrowed from French bleu (“blue”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bløː/

• Audio (Germany (Berlin)):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -øː

Adjective

bleu (indeclinable)

1. light blue

Ligurian

Etymology

From Frankish *blāu.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bløː/

Noun

bleu m (indeclinable)

1. blue (color)

Adjective

bleu

1. blue

   No gh'ò ciù de lâpi bleu. ― I don't have any more blue pencils.

Middle French

Etymology

From Old French blöe, bleve, blef (“blue”), from Late Latin blāvus, from Frankish *blāu (“blue”), from Proto-Germanic *blēwaz (“blue”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₁- (“yellow, grey, blue”), from *bʰel- (“to shine”). Cognate with Old High German blāo (“blue”) (German blau), Dutch blauw (“blue”), Old English blāw (“blue”). More at blue.

Adjective

bleu m (feminine singular bleue, masculine plural bleus, feminine plural bleues)

1. blue

Noun

bleu m (plural bleus)

1. blue

Descendants

• French: bleu
  • Guianese Creole: blé
  • Haitian Creole: ble
  • Louisiana Creole: blé, ble
  • Mauritian Creole: ble
  • Réunion Creole French: blé
  • → Greek: μπλε (ble)
  • → Istriot: blu
  • → Italian: blu
  • → Ladino: blö
• → Dutch: bleu

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French bleu (“blue”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /blø/

Adjective

bleu m or f or n (indeclinable)

1. light blue

Declension

Declension of bleu (invariable)

		singular			plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative- accusative	indefinite	bleu		bleu	bleu	bleu
	definite	—		—	—	—
genitive- dative	indefinite	bleu		bleu	bleu	bleu
	definite	—		—	—	—

Noun

bleu n (plural bleu-uri)

1. light blue

Declension

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	bleu	bleu-ul	bleu-uri	bleu-urile
genitive-dative	bleu	bleu-ului	bleu-uri	bleu-urilor
vocative	bleu-ule		bleu-urilor

See also

• albastru

See also

Colors in Romanian · culori (layout · text)

alb	gri	negru
roșu; carmin	portocaliu; maro	galben; crem
	verde	verde mentă
cyan	bleu	albastru
violet; indigo	mov; purpură	roz; trandafiriu (poetic)