Bleat Definition
blēt
bleated, bleating, bleats
noun
bleats
The cry of a sheep, goat, or calf.
Webster's New World
Any sound or utterance like this.
Webster's New World
A whining, feeble complaint.
American Heritage
verb
bleated, bleating, bleats
To make its characteristic cry.
Webster's New World
To say or express in a bleating voice.
Webster's New World
To make a sound like this cry.
Webster's New World
To utter in a whining way.
American Heritage
To speak foolishly, whiningly, or querulously.
Webster's New World
Origin of Bleat
-
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”).
From Wiktionary
Middle English blet from bleten to bleat from Old English blǣtan
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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