Etymology

(1) Most authorities connect the ME v. to OIcel blunda ‘to have/keep one’s eyes shut’ (attested only four times in ONP), cp. Norw, Sw blunda, which have recorded variants in -r-, which would account well for the ME forms and accord with the basic senses of the ME v. There is no consensus, however, as to whether the ME (and PDE) words are borrowings from ON (thus de Vries, Mag., Torp, ODEE and apparently Nagano 1966: 54), or whether they are simply cognates (thus Tamm, and possibly implied by TGD and MED). (2) OED accepts a frequentative form derived from ON blunda is a possible source for the intransitive senses of the English v., but also suggests a formation on PGmc *blandan- (i.e. OIcel blanda ‘to mix (together’), OE blandan etc.; see blande (1) (v.)) for its transitive meanings.

PGmc Ancestor

(1) *blund- (2) *bland-

Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)

(1) blunda ‘to have/keep one’s eyes shut’; (2) blanda ‘to mix (together)’
(ONP (1) blunda (vb.); (2) blanda (2) (vb.), blanda (3) (vb.))

Other Scandinavian Reflexes

Far blunda, Icel blunda, Norw blund(r)a, Dan blunde, Sw blund(r)a; Far blanda, Icel blanda, Norw blanda, Dan blande, Sw blanda

OE Cognate

(2) blandan 'to blend, mix'

Phonological and morphological markers

Summary category

D1c

Attestation

MED cites just six occurrences other than that in Gaw, all from N/EM texts.

Occurrences in the Gersum Corpus

Gaw 18

Bibliography

MED blǒnder (n.) , OED blunder (n.) , HTOED , ODEE blunder, Dance blunder; (1) de Vries blunda, Mag. blundur, Torp NnEO blund, blunda, Hellquist blunda, Tam blunda, Bj-L. blund, Heid. blenda-, Seebold bland-a-; (2) de Vries blanda (2), Mag. blanda, Bj-L. blande, Seebold bland-a-, Orel *ƀlanðanan, Kroonen *blandan-, DOE blandan, AEW blandan