blancus

Latin

Etymology

Borrowed from Frankish *blank. Attested as an adjective from at least the 950's (writings of Leo of Naples)^[1] but also found earlier as the sobriquet of one Constantius Blancus, mentioned in a document from Ravenna dated to 893.^[2]

As this word is ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root *bʰel- (see Root #2), it is a cognate of Russian белый (belyj) and English bleach.

Adjective

blancus (feminine blanca, neuter blancum); first/second-declension adjective (Early Medieval Latin)

white
Synonym: albus (Classical)

Declension

First/second-declension adjective.

	masculine	feminine	neuter	masculine	feminine	neuter
	singular			plural
nominative	blancus	blanca	blancum	blancī	blancae	blanca
genitive	blancī	blancae	blancī	blancōrum	blancārum	blancōrum
dative	blancō	blancae	blancō	blancīs
accusative	blancum	blancam	blancum	blancōs	blancās	blanca
ablative	blancō	blancā	blancō	blancīs
vocative	blance	blanca	blancum	blancī	blancae	blanca

Descendants

Italo-Romance:
- Corsican: biancu
  Gallurese: biancu
  
  Sassarese: biancu
- Italian: bianco
  - → German: blanko
  - → Sabir: bianco
  - → Sardinian: biancu
- Neapolitan: janco
- Sicilian: jancu
North Italian:
- Gallo-Italic:
  - Emilian: bianc
  - Ligurian: giànco
  - Lombard: bianch
  - Piedmontese: bianch
  - Romagnol: biânc
- Friulian: blanc
- Ladin: blanch
- Old Venetan: blanco
  - Venetan: bianco
    - →? Istriot: bianco
  - →? Dalmatian: blanc
Gallo-Romance:
- Catalan: blanc
- Franco-Provençal: blanc
- Old French: blanc (see there for further descendants)
- Occitan: blanc
Ibero-Romance: (perhaps a late import from Gallo-Romance)
- Aragonese: blanco, blango, bllanco (Ribagorçan)
- Old Leonese:
  - Asturian: blancu
  - Extremaduran: brancu, blancu
  - Leonese: brancu
  - Mirandese: branco
- Old Galician-Portuguese: branco
  - Fala: blãcu
  - Galician: branco
  - Portuguese: branco (see there for further descendants)
- Old Spanish: blanco
  - Ladino: blanko
  - Spanish: blanco (see there for further descendants)

Colors in Latin · colōrēs (layout · text)
albus, candidus, cānus, marmoreus (poetic), eburneus (poetic), niveus (poetic), argenteus (poetic), lacteus (poetic)	rāvus, pullus, mūrīnus (of livestock)	niger, āter, furvus, fuscus ("swarthy"), piceus (poetic)
ruber, russus, rūbidus (dark), flammeus (poetic); rutilus, pūniceus, spādīx (poetic), sanguineus (poetic)	rūfus, rutilus, rōbus (of oxen), croceus (poetic), aureus (poetic); fulvus (poetic), niger (of eyes), badius (of horses)	lūteus, flāvus ("blond"), lūridus, gilvus (of horses), helvus (of cattle); cēreus (poetic)
viridis, flāvus (poetic)	viridis, herbeus (of eyes), fulvus (poetic)	viridis, glaucus (poetic), caeruleus (poetic, only dark)
	glaucus (poetic), caeruleus, caesius (of eyes)	caeruleus, līvidus, ferrūgineus (poetic), glaucus (poetic)
violāceus	purpureus (underlying shade)	roseus

References

^ Niermeyer, Jan Frederik (1976), “blancus”, in Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden, Boston: E. J. Brill, page 99
^ Schoolman, Edward. 2016. Nobility, aristocracy, and status in early medieval Ravenna. In Herrin, Judith & Nelson, Jinty (eds.), Ravenna: Its role in earlier medieval change and exchange, 224–225. London: Institute of Historical Research.

[1] Niermeyer, Jan Frederik (1976), “blancus”, in Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden, Boston: E. J. Brill, page 99

[2] Schoolman, Edward. 2016. Nobility, aristocracy, and status in early medieval Ravenna. In Herrin, Judith & Nelson, Jinty (eds.), Ravenna: Its role in earlier medieval change and exchange, 224–225. London: Institute of Historical Research.

[1]

[2]