blade
UK[bleɪd]US[bleɪd]
n
The flat cutting part of a tool or weapon, such as a knife or sword.
n
A long, narrow leaf of grass or a similar plant.
n
The flat, wide part of an object used for propelling, striking, or controlling something, such as an oar, propeller, or skate.
Etymology
The word 'blade' originates from the Old English 'blæd', meaning a leaf or the flat, cutting part of a weapon. This Old English term is traced back to the Proto-Germanic 'bladaz', which carried the dual meanings of 'leaf' and 'blade of a weapon'. Scholars connect this further to the Proto-Indo-European root 'bhel-', meaning 'to thrive, bloom, or swell', a concept that beautifully links the idea of a sprouting leaf with the flattened, broad shape of a knife blade. Over centuries, the meaning specialized in two directions: one towards the botanical sense (a blade of grass) and the other towards the functional tool (the blade of a knife), both preserving the core notion of a thin, flat structure.
Analysis
The modern English word 'blade' is a simplex word derived from a single, tight Germanic root. It is not productively formed from smaller, independent morphemes in contemporary English.
Examples
He carefully sharpened the blade of his pocket knife.
A single blade of grass poked through the crack in the pavement.
The ice skater's blade glided smoothly across the rink.