different between grumble vs bleat

English

Etymology

Probably from Middle French grommeler, from Old French grumeler (“to murmur, grumble”), from Middle Dutch *grommelen ("to murmur, mutter, grunt"; > Modern Dutch grommelen (“to grumble”)), frequentative of Middle Dutch grommen (“to growl, grunt”). Cognate with Middle Low German grummelen (> Low German grummeln (“to grumble”)), German grummeln (“to grumble”), Norwegian dialectal grymja (“to growl, grunt”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /????mbl?/
• Rhymes: -?mb?l

Noun

grumble (plural grumbles)

1. (onomatopoeia) A low thundering, rumbling or growling sound.
2. The sound made by a hungry stomach.
3. A surly complaint.

   That whiner is never without a grumble to share.

Derived terms

• grumbly

Translations

Verb

grumble (third-person singular simple present grumbles, present participle grumbling, simple past and past participle grumbled)

1. (intransitive) To make a low, growling or rumbling noise, like a hungry stomach or certain animals.

   The distant thunder grumbles.
2. (intransitive) To complain; to murmur or mutter with discontent; to make ill-natured complaints in a low voice and a surly manner.

   He grumbles about the food constantly, but has yet to learn to cook.

3. (transitive) To utter in a grumbling fashion.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:complain

Derived terms

• begrumble
• grumbler

Translations

See also

• rumble

English

Alternative forms

• blate, blait (Scotland)

Etymology

From Middle English bleten, from Old English bl?tan (“to bleat”), from Proto-West Germanic *bl?tijan, from Proto-Germanic *bl?tijan? (“to bleat”). Cognate with Scots blete, bleit, West Frisian bâlte, blaaien, blêtsje (“to bleat”), Dutch blaten (“to bleat”), Low German bleten (“to bleat”), German blaßen, blässen (“to bleat”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?bli?t/
• Rhymes: -i?t

Noun

bleat (plural bleats)

1. The characteristic cry of a sheep or a goat.

Synonyms

• (sheep's cry): baa, baaing, bleating

Translations

Verb

bleat (third-person singular simple present bleats, present participle bleating, simple past and past participle bleated)

1. Of a sheep or goat, to make its characteristic cry; of a human, to mimic this sound.
2. (informal, derogatory) Of a person, to complain.

   The last thing we need is to hear them bleating to us about organizational problems.

Synonyms

• (make the characteristic cry of a sheep or goat): baa
• (complain): kvetch (US), moan, whinge (UK), whine

Translations

Anagrams

• ablet, blate, table

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *blautaz, whence also Old High German bl?z (“naked”), Old Norse blautr. More at blouse.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /blæ???t/

Adjective

bl?at

1. wretched

Declension

Descendants

• Middle English: *blete, *bleet
  • Scots: bleat, blait, bleet

West Frisian

Etymology

From Old Frisian bl?t, from Proto-Germanic *blautaz.

Adjective

bleat

1. bare, naked
2. poor

Inflection

Further reading

• “bleat (I)”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011