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Webster 1913 Edition

Bald

Bald

(ba̤ld)
,
Adj.
[OE.
balled
,
ballid
, perh. the p. p. of
ball
to reduce to the roundness or smoothness of a ball, by removing hair. √85. But cf. W.
bali
whiteness in a horse’s forehead.]
1.
Destitute of the natural or common covering on the head or top, as of hair, feathers, foliage, trees, etc.;
as, a
bald
head; a
bald
oak
.
On the
bald
top of an eminence.
Wordsworth.
2.
Destitute of ornament; unadorned; bare; literal.
In the preface to his own
bald
translation.
Dryden.
3.
Undisguised.
“ Bald egotism.”
Lowell.
4.
Destitute of dignity or value; paltry; mean.
[Obs.]
5.
(Bot.)
Destitute of a beard or awn;
as,
bald
wheat
.
6.
(Zool.)
(a)
Destitute of the natural covering.
(b)
Marked with a white spot on the head; bald-faced.
Bald buzzard
(Zool.)
,
the fishhawk or osprey.
–
Bald coot
(Zool.)
,
a name of the European coot (
Fulica atra
), alluding to the bare patch on the front of the head.

Webster 1828 Edition

Bald

BALD

,
Adj.
bauld.
1.
Destitute of hair, especially on the top and back of the head.
2.
Destitute of the natural covering; as a bald oak.
3.
Without feathers on the head; as a bald vulture.
4.
Destitute of trees on the top; as a bald mountain.
5.
Unadorned; inelegant; as a bald translation.
6.
Mean; naked; base; without dignity or value.
7.
In popular language, open, bold, audacious.
8.
Without beard or awn; as bald wheat.

Definition 2024

bald

bald

See also: bäld and Bald.

English

Adjective

bald ‎(comparative balder, superlative baldest)

  1. Having no hair, fur or feathers.
    • 1922, Margery Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit
      The Skin Horse had lived longer in the nursery than any of the others. He was so old that his brown coat was bald in patches and showed the seams underneath, and most of the hairs in his tail had been pulled out to string bead necklaces.
    1. Having no hair on the head.
      a bald man with a moustache
  2. Of tyres: whose surface is worn away.
  3. (of a statement or account) Unembellished.
    • 1922, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Black Doctor
      Such is a bald statement of the singular and romantic series of events which centred public attention upon this Lancashire tragedy.
    • 1994, Route 9A Reconstruction Project, Battery Place to 59th St.:
      The NYSDOT, through the DSEIS, makes a bald assertion in the DSEIS, but does not explain in detail, why it feels that the Short Bypass Tunnel provides a more appropriate and respectful setting for the WTC Memorial.
    • 2006, João Ferreira Duarte, ‎Alexandra Assis Rosa, ‎& Teresa Seruya, Translation Studies at the Interface of Disciplines, ISBN 9027216762, page 115:
      Here the existential process (“there is”) functions as a bald assertion of fact, with no hedging or concessions to the observer's subjectivity, while the nominalization (“a significant role-reversal”) activates a pre-existing category from the discourse of Literary Criticism, into which the present "specimen" will be slotted.
  4. (Can we verify(+) this sense?) (of a statement) Without evidence or support being provided.
    • 1891, The Australian law times - Volumes 12-13, page 61:
      The plaintiff in this case must satisfy the judge that she has visible means, the mere bald statement that she has visible means is not suflicient.
    • 2001, Canadian patent reporter, page 194:
      The question regarding this issue is whether the applicant raised sufficient doubts regarding adoption and use of the official mark by the respondent as to have the effect that the respondent's bald assertion is not enough to provide evidence that the official mark was adopted and used or whether a negative inference should be drawn from the failure of the respondent to provide further evidence.
    • 2005, Colin Tredoux, Psychology and Law, ISBN 0702166626, page 198:
      The Criminal Procedure Act of 1977 gives police officials the power and discretion to conduct identification procedures 'A bald statement that the accused is the person who committed the crime is not enough ... the greatest care should be taken to test the evidence.
    • 2010, World Trade Organization, Dispute Settlement Reports 2008: Volume 11, ISBN 0521196620, page 3959:
      The EC's bald assertion of compliance in the context of this scientific and factual landscape highlights the fact that it has made no effort to demonstrate how its new import ban satisfies the conditions of a "provisional" ban under Article 5.7 of the SPS Agreement or "rationally relates" to or is "reasonably supported" by a risk assessment for purposes of Article 5.1 of the SPS Agreement.

Antonyms

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

bald ‎(plural balds)

  1. (Appalachia) A mountain summit or crest that lacks forest growth despite a warm climate conducive to such, as is found in many places in the Southern Appalachian Mountains.

Verb

bald ‎(third-person singular simple present balds, present participle balding, simple past and past participle balded)

  1. (intransitive) To become bald.

See also

German

Etymology

From Middle High German balt, from Old High German bald, pald, from Proto-Germanic *balþaz, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel-.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /balt/
  • Homophone: ballt

Adverb

bald

  1. soon, near in time
    Bald ist der Urlaub vorbei.
    The vacation will soon be over.
  2. (regional) almost
    Mit bald 80 Jahren ist mein Vater noch auf Apfelbäume geklettert.
    At almost 80 years, my father still used to climb on apple trees.

Derived terms

Novial

Etymology

From German.

Adverb

bald

  1. soon

Old English

Pronunciation

Adjective

bald

  1. Alternative form of beald

Old High German

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *balþaz, whence also Old English bald, Old Norse ballr.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /bald/

Adjective

bald

  1. bold, quick

Derived terms

References

  • Joseph Wright, An Old High German Primer

Old Saxon

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *balþaz, whence also Old English bald, Old Norse ballr.

Adjective

bald (comparative baldoro, superlative baldost)

  1. bold, fearless

Declension




Etymology

From Middle English balled ‎(“bald”), from ball ‎(“white spot, blaze”) ( + -ed), from Old English *bala ‎(“white patch, blaze”), from Proto-Germanic *balô ‎(“flame”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- ‎(“light, bright”). Cognate with Danish bældet ‎(“bald”), Gothic 𐌱𐌰𐌻𐌰- ‎(bala-, “shining, grey (of body)”), Old English bǣl ‎(“fire, flame; funeral pyre”), Albanian balë ‎(“white spot on the forehead”) and ball ‎(“forehead”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈbɑld/

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