Coined by Spenser in 1596 for the slanderous 'Blatant Beast' — evolved from noisy clamor to its modern sense of offensive conspicuousness.
Done openly and unashamedly; completely lacking in subtlety; offensively conspicuous.
Coined by Edmund Spenser in 'The Faerie Queene' (1596) as the name of 'the Blatant Beast,' a many-tongued monster representing slander and calumny loosed upon the world. Spenser likely formed it from Scots 'blatand' (bleating, talking loudly) or from Latin 'blaterare' (to babble, to chatter endlessly), possibly also influenced by Latin 'blatire' (to babble). The Latin verb 'blaterare' may itself be onomatopoeic, imitating the sound
Unlike most English words, 'blatant' has a known inventor: the poet Edmund Spenser, who created it in 1596 for a many-tongued beast in The Faerie Queene. The Blatant Beast represented scandal and slander — a monster with a thousand tongues. Spenser is also credited with coining 'braggadocio' and popularizing 'elfin.'