Also 3 Orm. blunnt, 5–6 blont. [Etymology unknown: found in Ormin c. 1200, in a sense which has suggested some connection with ON. blunda to doze, blunda augum to shut the eyes, blundr dozing, sleep (Vigfusson). It has been proposed to explain the form as a contracted pa. pple. for blunded, blund, ON. blundað, blundat; but pa. pples. in -nt from -nd are not found so early as 1200; Ormin has none. And this would hardly give the required sense, since blunda was intransitive in ON., and the pple. could hardly exist there. Other suggestions are that blunt might be some kind of side-form of blind, or a nasalized deriv. of an OTeut. root *blut-, whence ON. blaut soft, weak, mod.G. blosz naked, Fris. blat, bleat naked, OE. bléat wretched. But in the present state of the question these are mere conjectures, having no contact with the history of the word.]
A. adj.
1. Dull, insensitive, stupid, obtuse: said, it appears, originally of the sight, whence of the perceptions generally, and the intellect. (Now generally with some antithesis to sharp, as in sense 2.)
c. 1200. Ormin, 16954. Unnwis mann iss blunnt, & blind Off herrtess eȝhe sihhþe.
c. 1325. E. E. Allit. P., A. 176. Such a burre myȝt make myn herte blunt.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Pers. T., ¶ 649. Undevocioun thurgh which a man is so blunt, and … hath such a langour in soule, that he may neyther rede ne synge in holy chirche.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 41. Blunt of wytte, hebes.
1594. Carew, Huarte’s Exam. Wits (1616), 319. Others, who of ordinarie are borne blunt and void of iudgement.
1596. Spenser, F. Q., I. x. 47. All were his earthly eien both blunt and bad And through great age had lost their kindly sight.
1597. Shaks., 2 Hen. IV., Induct. 18. The blunt Monster, with vncounted heads, The still discordant, wauering Multitude.
1766. Johnstone, in Phil. Trans., LVII. 125. The feelings are by no means acute, but blunt and confused.
1824. Campbell, Love & Madn., 30. Ill can your blunter feelings guess the pain.
1846. Ruskin, Mod. Paint., I. II. III. i. § 3. They are but the blunt and the low faculties of our nature.
2. Of an angle, edge or point: Not sharp, obtuse. Of a tool or weapon: Without edge or point.
For this notion blunt is now the proper word; and this is also now the leading literal sense, which tends to influence the other senses.
1398. Trevisa, Barth. De P. R., XII. xviii. (1495), 426. The capon is more cowarde of herte … his spores ben made blonte.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 41. Blunt of edge.
1530. Palsgr., 306/2. Blont nat sharpe, rabatu, agasse.
1562. Turner, Herbal, II. M iij a. The poyntes of the leues wer blunter.
1594. Blundevil, Exerc., II. (ed. 7), 119. The middle letter doth alwayes signifie the angle propounded, bee it right, sharpe, or blunt.
1611. Bible, Eccles. x. 10. If the yron be blunt.
1753. Scots Mag., June, 280/1. A blunt pencil.
1885. ‘Where Chineses Drive,’ 140. The hatchet was too blunt to be of any service.
b. transf. to the effect.
1656. Cowley, Davideis, IV. 144. Its least and bluntest stroke.
c. fig.
1562. J. Heywood, Prov. & Epigr. (1867), 210. Great diffrence betweene blounte woordes and sharp swoordes.
1635. Quarles, Embl., V. (1718), 311. Lord, whet my dull, my blunt belief.
1831. Heidiger, Didoniad, IX. 270. Invention’s blade is made sharper, and not blunter, by much use.
† 3. Barren, bare. Obs.
1553. Douglas, Æneis (ed. 1710), XIII. vi. 227. The large plains … Stude blunt [MSS. & ed. 1874, blowt] of beistis and of treis bare.
1596. Spenser, F. Q., VI. xi. 9. Merchants … Arrived in this isle though bare & blunt T’ inquire for slaves.
1599. Porter, Angry Wom. Abingt. (1841), 22. Our blunt soyle offords none such.
† 4. Rude, unpolished, rough, without refinement. Obs. or arch.
1477. Norton, Ord. Alch., vii. in Ashm. (1652), 106. In English blunt and rude.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, I. Prol. 314. Thocht myne be blunt his [Vergil’s] text is maist perfyte.
1530. Palsgr., 306/2. Blont in maners or rude—rude.
1655. Fuller, Hist. Camb. (1840), 152. This blunt preaching was in those dark days admirably effectual.
1702. Pope, Jan. & May, 742. Tho’ not in phrase refin’d; Tho’ blunt my tale.
c. 1760. Smollett, Ode Indep., 57. He steel’d the blunt Batavian’s arms.
1826. Scott, Woodst., viii. His demeanour was so blunt as sometimes might be termed clownish.
† b. Rough, harsh; unfeeling, unsparing. Obs.
1592. Shaks., Ven. & Ad., 884. The blunt boar, rough bear or lion proud. Ibid. (1593), 3 Hen. VI., V. i. 86. Trowest thou … that Clarence is so harsh, so blunt, vnnaturall?
5. Abrupt of speech or manner; plain-spoken; curt; without delicacy; unceremonious.
1590. Greene, Neuer too late (1600), 51. One blunt fellow amongst the rest that was plaine and without falshood, told her the whole cause.
1599. Shaks., Hen. V., IV. vii. 185. By his blunt bearing he will keepe his word.
1635. K. Long, Barclay’s Argenis (1636), B iv a. A rude and blunt people, wont to call a Figge a Figge, and a Boat a Boat.
1704. Pope, Ess. Crit., 577. Blunt truths more mischief than nice falsehoods do.
1797. Mrs. Radcliffe, Italian, xiii. (1824), 606. Be pretty blunt with them if they want to come in here.
1865. Trollope, Belton Est., iii. 27. He was blunt in his bearing, saying things which her father would have called indelicate and heartless.
1871. Dixon, Tower, III. xxviii. 312. The blunt and earnest speaker … was Cromwell.
6. Comb., chiefly parasynthetic, as blunt-angled, -edged, -ended, -headed, -hearted, -nosed, -pointed, -sighted, -witted; adverbial, as blunt-spoken; blunt-file, a file with very little taper; blunt-hook, a surgical instrument used in midwifery; blunt-point, a tool used in aquatinting; blunt-sharp a., sharp but not pointed with malice; † blunt-worker, a blunderer; † blunt-working, blundering.
1551. Recorde, Pathw. Knowl., II. xiii. A *blunte angeled triangle.
1836. Todd, Cycl. Anat. & Phys., I. 312/2. *Blunt-edged bills.
1845. Disraeli, Sybil (1863), 61. A selfish husband, at once sharp-witted and *blunt-hearted.
1772. Forster, in Phil. Trans., LXIII. 151. The common *blunt-nosed Sturgeon of Germany.
1834. Penny Cycl., II. 203/2. Every line of the design is … gone over with an instrument called a *blunt point.
1613. Hayward, Norm. Kings, 150. Colomannus the eldest, who was lame, bunch-backed, crab-faced, *blunt-sighted.
1662. Fuller, Worthies (1840), II. 464. Excellent at *blunt-sharp jests, and perchance sometimes too tart in true ones.
1878. Black, Green Past., iv. 34. Something more than *blunt-spoken … a trifle too anxious to tread on people’s corns.
1593. Shaks., 2 Hen. VI., III. ii. 210. Blunt-witted Lord, ignoble in demeanor.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 41. Blunderer or *blunt warkere, hebefactor. Ibid. Blunderynge, or *blunt warkynge, hebefaccio.
B. sb.
† 1. A blunt sword for fencing, a foil. Obs.
1611. Cotgr., s.v. Fer. Batre le fer, to play at blunt, or at foyles.
1694. Sir W. Hope, Swordsm. Vade Mec., 25. The only Safe and Secure Play, with either Blunts or Sharpes.
2. A size or make of needle.
1833. J. Holland, Manuf. Metals, II. 360. The latter [needles with broken points] are generally repointed as blunts.
1862. T. Morrall, Needle Making, 39. The Blunts are half a size thicker and a size shorter than Betweens, and have still stronger points, being suited for the heaviest work, such as bed-ticks, shoe-binding, stay-making, &c.
3. slang. Ready money.
1812. J. H. Vaux, Flash Dict., Blunt, money.
1823. Scott, in Lockhart (1839), VII. 99. I will remit the blunt immediately.
1838. Dickens, O. Twist, 202/1. I must have some blunt from you to-night.
a. 1845. Hood, Tale Trump., xx. You must fork out the blunt.
