blaði

Blað is an Icelandic noun with several related senses centered on the idea of a leaf or sheet. It commonly refers to a leaf of a plant or a sheet of paper, and in broader or older usage it can denote a newspaper or a single issue of a periodical. The definite form blaðið is used when speaking of “the sheet” or “the newspaper” in a specific context.

In grammar, blað is a neuter noun. The singular nominative and accusative form isblað; the genitive singular isblaðs, and the dative singular isblaði. The plural form is blöð, with blaða as the genitive plural. In phrases following prepositions, the dative singular blaði appears, for example in on a page or on a sheet: á blaði.

Etymology and cognates: Blað derives from Proto-Germanic *bladą, with cognates in other Nordic languages such as Danish blad and Swedish blad. The sense of a leaf or sheet is preserved across these languages, and related forms appear in English as blade in a historical sense, though development there diverged into separate meanings.

See also: síða (page of a book), blað (the leaf or sheet sense in broader contexts), and related terms for leaves and papers in Nordic languages.

Notes on usage: In modern Icelandic, síða is the standard term for a page of a book or document, while blað emphasizes a physical sheet, leaf, or printed paper. The word also appears in compound names and historical or generic references to newspapers.