blah

Origin

* Sense “Idle, meaningless talk” (1940), probably imitative or echoic in origin. Compare Ancient Greek βαρ-βαρ (bar-bar, “unintelligible sounds”), of which the word barbarian derives from. * Adjective sense “bland, dull” (1919), perhaps influenced by French blasé (“bored, indifferent”). * The blahs (“boredom, mild depression”) first attested 1969; probably a blend of the blues + blah (adjective). * Also may be connected with bleat