blunder

From Middle English blunder, blonder (“disturbance, strife”), from Middle English blundren, blondren (verb), which itself is partly from Middle English blondren, a frequentative form of Middle English blonden, blanden ("to mix; mix up"; corresponding to blend ‎ -er); and partly from Middle English blundren, a frequentative form of Middle English blunden (“to stagger; stumble”), from Old Norse blunda (“to shut the eyes; doze”).

Cognates include Norwegian blunda (“to shut the eyes; doze”), dialectal Swedish blundra (“to act blindly or rashly”), Danish blunde (“to blink”) or blunde (“to take a nap”). Related to English blind.

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈblʌn.də(ɹ)/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈblʌn.dɚ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌndə(ɹ)

blunder (plural blunders)

1. A clumsy or embarrassing mistake.
2. (chess) A very bad move, usually caused by some tactical oversight.

• (error): blooper, goof, howler see also Thesaurus:error

• blunderfest
• blundersome
• thud and blunder

• → Dutch: blunder
• → Swedish: blunder

blunder (third-person singular simple present blunders, present participle blundering, simple past and past participle blundered)

1. (intransitive) To make a clumsy or stupid mistake.

   to blunder in preparing a medical prescription

2. (intransitive) To move blindly or clumsily.
   • October 6, 1759, Oliver Goldsmith, The Bee No. 1

     I was never distinguished for address, and have often even blundered in making my bow.

   • 1700, [John] Dryden, “Palamon and Arcite: Or, The Knight’s Tale. In Three Books.”, in Fables Ancient and Modern; […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], OCLC 228732415:

     blunders on, and staggers every pace

3. (transitive) To cause to make a mistake.
   • 1714, Humphry Ditton, A discourse concerning the resurrection of Jesus Christ

     To blunder an adversary.

4. (transitive) To do or treat in a blundering manner; to confuse.
   • 1676, Edward Stillingfleet, A Defence of the Discourse Concerning the Idolatry Practised in the Church of Rome

     He blunders and confounds all these together.

• Ledburn, bundler

blunder

1. present of blunde

• IPA^(key): /ˈblʏn.dər/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: blun‧der
• Rhymes: -ʏndər

Borrowed from English blunder, from Middle English blonder, blundur (“disturbance, strife”), from Old Norse blunda (“to shut the eyes”). Related to blind.

blunder m (plural blunders, diminutive blundertje n)

1. A blunder, serious error or mistake.

• blunderen

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

blunder

1. first-person singular present indicative of blunderen
2. imperative of blunderen

• brulden

Unadapted borrowing from English blunder. According to SO attested since 1837.

blunder c

1. blunder; clumsy mistake

• tabbe (“blunder; mistake”)

• blunder in Svensk ordbok.