What does blotted mean?
"Blotted" is the past tense and past participle of the verb "blot," a word with two closely related strands of meaning. Literally, it describes the act of absorbing or drying up a liquid — most classically wet ink — by pressing absorbent paper against it, a routine step in handwriting before the era of ballpoint pens. It can also mean marking or staining a surface with spots of ink or another substance. Figuratively, "blotted" extends to obscuring or effacing something, as when clouds are said to be blotted out by fog, and in British English the idiom "to blot one's copybook" means to damage an otherwise good reputation through a single error. The word carries connotations of imperfection and correction: a blot is a flaw that must be removed or hidden. Though rooted in the material world of pens and paper, it remains vividly useful in both everyday and literary English.
verb (past simple and past participle of 'blot')The past tense and past participle of the verb "blot": to absorb or dry up liquid, especially ink, with an absorbent material; or to stain, spot, or obscure something.
- To have absorbed or dried up liquid, especially excess ink, using absorbent material.
- To have stained or marked a surface with spots of ink or similar liquid.
- (Figurative) To have obscured, hidden, or ruined something — as in "the clouds blotted out the sun" or "he blotted his copybook".
"She carefully blotted the wet ink before folding the letter."
"He blotted the signature gently so the ink would not smear."
"Thick smoke blotted out the afternoon sky for miles around."
In the age of quill pens, writers kept a special pad called blotting paper on hand — and a single careless drop of ink could leave a mistake literally blotted into history.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of blotted
The verb "blot" dates back to Middle English, appearing from around the late fourteenth century, and is likely related to Old Norse "blettr," meaning a spot or patch, which also gave English the noun "blot" in the sense of a stain. The sense of soaking up ink developed naturally once blotting paper became common for drying written pages. Related words sharing this Germanic root include the noun "blotter."
Related word forms
How blotted is actually used
Mostly used in literal writing contexts today, but figurative uses remain common: "blot out" (to obscure) is standard in both British and American English, while "blot one's copybook" (to damage a good reputation) is chiefly British.
Easily confused with blotted
"Bloated" means swollen or excessively full, while "blotted" refers to absorbing liquid or staining/obscuring something.
"Blurted" means said suddenly without thinking, whereas "blotted" means absorbed liquid or marred a surface.