What about blind justice, or the fact that love is blind? In both cases (though I grant moreso the former), the inability to perceive differences or small details is a positive thing…
Rachel:
November 26th, 2014 at 1:05 am
What? So blithe really means something happy, or cheerful? I heard a friend use it in the negative way before. I always thought that it was a negative word, until I saw this. This is great!
Blithe:
December 27th, 2020 at 7:53 pm
My name is Blithe. Blithe is an ancient Germanic and later an old English term meaning happy, cheerful, kind and carefree, but in recent times blithe has been hijacked to emphasise carefree in a negative way, usually in a political setting.
My father was a journalist and my mother a librarian, both wordsmiths, and they named me with intention of the true meaning of Blithe – happy, cheerful and carefree (in a positive sense). In the Mother Goose rhyme about days of birth. “Sunday’s child is Bonny and Blithe”. I was born on a Sunday.
Blithe is an adjective and a unisex name but more often used for boys, Blythe is a noun and is commonly used as girl’s name. Most people want to spell my name with a “y” and assume I’m female until they meet me. As a shy and gentle boy, my name made me a target and I fought my way through childhood and for a short time I wanted to change my name; but I’m proud of my name and it made me the strong person and father I am today – happy, cheerful and carefree but also confident. Invariably when I meet someone for the first time they are fascinated, and make the comment that it is a great and beautiful name. I always have to spell it and explain the meaning. Blithe or Blythe are both character-building names.
I love my name. I believe your name shapes who you are and your destiny; without a doubt Blithe is who I am.
tratsl:
March 4th, 2022 at 2:27 pm
Yes, I’ve been looking into Ralph Waldo Emerson’s phrase “feet planted on bare ground and head bathed in the blithe air.”
I want this word in its original meaning as I’ve researched and would use that word as Blithe has understood.
tratsl:
March 4th, 2022 at 2:28 pm
blithe (adj.)
Old English bliþe “joyous, kind, cheerful, pleasant,” from Proto-Germanic *blithiz “gentle, kind” (source also of Old Saxon bliði “bright, happy,” Middle Dutch blide, Dutch blijde, Old Norse bliðr “mild, gentle,” Old High German blidi “gay, friendly,” Gothic bleiþs “kind, friendly, merciful”). Related: Blithely.
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Nathaniel Lee:
January 12th, 2013 at 8:09 pm
What about blind justice, or the fact that love is blind? In both cases (though I grant moreso the former), the inability to perceive differences or small details is a positive thing…
Rachel:
November 26th, 2014 at 1:05 am
What? So blithe really means something happy, or cheerful? I heard a friend use it in the negative way before. I always thought that it was a negative word, until I saw this. This is great!
Blithe:
December 27th, 2020 at 7:53 pm
My name is Blithe. Blithe is an ancient Germanic and later an old English term meaning happy, cheerful, kind and carefree, but in recent times blithe has been hijacked to emphasise carefree in a negative way, usually in a political setting.
My father was a journalist and my mother a librarian, both wordsmiths, and they named me with intention of the true meaning of Blithe – happy, cheerful and carefree (in a positive sense). In the Mother Goose rhyme about days of birth. “Sunday’s child is Bonny and Blithe”. I was born on a Sunday.
Blithe is an adjective and a unisex name but more often used for boys, Blythe is a noun and is commonly used as girl’s name. Most people want to spell my name with a “y” and assume I’m female until they meet me. As a shy and gentle boy, my name made me a target and I fought my way through childhood and for a short time I wanted to change my name; but I’m proud of my name and it made me the strong person and father I am today – happy, cheerful and carefree but also confident. Invariably when I meet someone for the first time they are fascinated, and make the comment that it is a great and beautiful name. I always have to spell it and explain the meaning. Blithe or Blythe are both character-building names.
I love my name. I believe your name shapes who you are and your destiny; without a doubt Blithe is who I am.
tratsl:
March 4th, 2022 at 2:27 pm
Yes, I’ve been looking into Ralph Waldo Emerson’s phrase “feet planted on bare ground and head bathed in the blithe air.”
I want this word in its original meaning as I’ve researched and would use that word as Blithe has understood.
tratsl:
March 4th, 2022 at 2:28 pm
blithe (adj.)
Old English bliþe “joyous, kind, cheerful, pleasant,” from Proto-Germanic *blithiz “gentle, kind” (source also of Old Saxon bliði “bright, happy,” Middle Dutch blide, Dutch blijde, Old Norse bliðr “mild, gentle,” Old High German blidi “gay, friendly,” Gothic bleiþs “kind, friendly, merciful”). Related: Blithely.