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The Collaborative International Dictionary
Blank line

Blank \Blank\, a. [OE. blank, blonc, blaunc, blaunche, fr. F. blanc, fem. blanche, fr. OHG. blanch shining, bright, white, G. blank; akin to E. blink, cf. also AS. blanc white. ?98. See Blink, and cf. 1st Blanch.]

  1. Of a white or pale color; without color.

    To the blank moon Her office they prescribed.
    --Milton.

  2. Free from writing, printing, or marks; having an empty space to be filled in with some special writing; -- said of checks, official documents, etc.; as, blank paper; a blank check; a blank ballot.

  3. Utterly confounded or discomfited.

    Adam . . . astonied stood, and blank.
    --Milton.

  4. Empty; void; without result; fruitless; as, a blank space; a blank day.

  5. Lacking characteristics which give variety; as, a blank desert; a blank wall; destitute of interests, affections, hopes, etc.; as, to live a blank existence; destitute of sensations; as, blank unconsciousness.

  6. Lacking animation and intelligence, or their associated characteristics, as expression of face, look, etc.; expressionless; vacant. ``Blank and horror-stricken faces.''
    --C. Kingsley.

    The blank . . . glance of a half returned consciousness.
    --G. Eliot.

  7. Absolute; downright; unmixed; as, blank terror.

    Blank bar (Law), a plea put in to oblige the plaintiff in an action of trespass to assign the certain place where the trespass was committed; -- called also common bar.

    Blank cartridge, a cartridge containing no ball.

    Blank deed. See Deed.

    Blank door, or Blank window (Arch.), a depression in a wall of the size of a door or window, either for symmetrical effect, or for the more convenient insertion of a door or window at a future time, should it be needed.

    Blank indorsement (Law), an indorsement which omits the name of the person in whose favor it is made; it is usually made by simply writing the name of the indorser on the back of the bill.

    Blank line (Print.), a vacant space of the breadth of a line, on a printed page; a line of quadrats.

    Blank tire (Mech.), a tire without a flange.

    Blank tooling. See Blind tooling, under Blind.

    Blank verse. See under Verse.

    Blank wall, a wall in which there is no opening; a dead wall.

Usage examples of "blank line".

Marmorth licked his lips, mumbled something half-heard, and flourished his signature on the blank line.

He points to a line of symbols separated from the mass above and below by a blank line.

He took a paper from another stack, wrote a number on a blank line.

The rest of the time they'll be deleted, leaving only a blank line.