bless

See also: Bless

English

Pronunciation

enPR: blĕs, IPA^(key): /blɛs/
Audio (US) (file)
Rhymes: -ɛs

Etymology 1

From Middle English blessen, from Old English bletsian (“to consecrate (with blood)”), from Proto-West Germanic *blōdisōn (“to sprinkle, mark or hallow with blood”), from Proto-Germanic *blōþą (“blood”), of uncertain origin, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₃- (“to bloom”). Cognate with Old Norse bleza (“to bless”) (whence Icelandic blessa), Old English blēdan (“to bleed”). More at bleed.

Verb

bless (third-person singular simple present blesses, present participle blessing, simple past and past participle blest or blessed)

To make something holy by religious rite, sanctify.
To make the sign of the cross upon, so as to sanctify.
- 1577, Raphaell Holinshed, The Firste Volume of the Chronicles of England, Scotlande, and Irelande […], volume I, London: […] [Henry Bynneman] for Iohn Harrison, OCLC 55195564:
  the archbishop vsing certeine praiers, blessed the king
To invoke divine favor upon.
To honor as holy, glorify; to extol for excellence.
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, Psalms 103:1, column 2:
  A Pſalme of Dauid. Bleſſe the Lord, O my ſoule: and all that is within me, bleſſe his holy Name.
To esteem or account happy; to felicitate.
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, Jeremiah 4:2, column 1:
  And thou ſhalt ſweare, The Lord liueth, in Trueth, in Iudgement, and in Righteouſnes, and the nations ſhall bleſſe themſelues in him, and in him ſhall they glorie.
(obsolete) To wave; to brandish.
- 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto V”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, OCLC 960102938, stanza 6:
  And burning blades about their heads do blesse.
- 1600, [Torquato Tasso], “(please specify |book=1 to 20)”, in Edward Fairefax [i.e., Edward Fairfax], transl., Godfrey of Bulloigne, or The Recouerie of Ierusalem. […], London: […] Ar[nold] Hatfield, for I[saac] Iaggard and M[atthew] Lownes, OCLC 940138160:
  Round his armed head his trenchant blade he blest.
(Perl programming, transitive, past tense only blessed) To turn (a reference) into an object.
(archaic, with from) To secure, defend, or prevent from.
- c. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The VVinters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act IV, scene iv]:
  Bless me from marrying a usurer.
- a. 1645, John Milton, “Il Penseroso”, in Poems of Mr. John Milton, […], London: […] Ruth Raworth for Humphrey Mosely, […], published 1646, OCLC 606951673, page 40:
  To bleſs the dores from nightly harm

Antonyms

curse
condemn
(programming): unbless

Derived terms

bless me
bless my soul
bless oneself
bless someone's cotton socks
bless someone's heart
bless up
bless us
bless you
God bless the Duke of Argyle
God bless the Duke of Argyll
God bless the mark
God bless you
Goddess bless
Goddess bless you
gods bless you

Related terms

blessed
blessing
bleed
blood

Translations

confer blessing on

Albanian: bekoj (sq)
Amharic: ባረከ (baräkä)
Arabic: بَارَكَ‎ (bāraka)
Egyptian Arabic: بارك‎ (bārik)
Aragonese: bendicir
Armenian: օրհնել (hy) (ōrhnel)
Asturian: bendicir
Belarusian: бласлаўля́ць impf (blaslaŭljácʹ), благаславі́ць pf (blahaslavícʹ)
Bulgarian: благосла́вям (bg) impf (blagoslávjam), благословя́ (bg) pf (blagoslovjá)
Catalan: beneir (ca)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 保佑 (zh) (bǎoyòu), 佑 (zh) (yòu), 福 (zh) (fú), 祝福 (zh) (zhùfú)
Czech: žehnat (cs) impf, požehnat pf
Danish: velsigne, (archaic) signe
Dutch: zegenen (nl)
Elfdalian: welsingen
Esperanto: beni
Faroese: vælsigna, signa
Finnish: siunata (fi)
French: bénir (fr)
Old French: beneïr
Friulian: benedî, binidî
Galician: bendicir (gl)
Georgian: ლოცვა (locva)
German: segnen (de), (obsolete) benedeien (de)
Gothic: 𐌸𐌹𐌿𐌸𐌾𐌰𐌽 (þiuþjan), 𐌰𐌿𐌳𐌰𐌲𐌾𐌰𐌽 (audagjan)
Greek: ευλογώ (el) (evlogó)
Ancient: εὐλογέω (eulogéō), μακαρίζω (makarízō)
Greenlandic: pilluaqquaa
Haitian Creole: beni
Hebrew: בירך \\ בֵּרֵךְ \\ בֵּרַךְ‎ (berákh)
Hungarian: megáld (hu)
Icelandic: blessa
Ido: benedikar (io)
Indonesian: berkat (id)
Interlingua: please add this translation if you can
Italian: benedire (it)
Japanese: 恵む (ja) (めぐむ, megumu), 祝福する (ja) (しゅくふくする, shukufuku suru)
Kabuverdianu: abensua, abênsua, bensuá
Kazakh: жарылқау (jarylqau)
Khmer: ប្រទានពរ (brâtéanpôr)
Korean: 축복하다 (ko) (chukbokhada)
Latin: benedīcō
Latvian: svētīt
Luxembourgish: seenen
Macedonian: благословува impf (blagoslovuva), благослови pf (blagoslovi)
Malayalam: അനുഗ്രഹിക്കുക (ml) (anugrahikkuka), ആശീർവദിക്കുക (ml) (āśīṟvadikkuka)
Maltese: bierek
Mongolian: адислах (mn) (adislax), өршөөх (mn) (öršööx)
Norman: béni
Northern Sami: buressivdnidit
Norwegian: velsigne (no), signa, blessa
Persian: برکت دادن‎ (barekat dâdan)
Polish: błogosławić (pl) impf
Portuguese: abençoar (pt), bendizer (pt), benzer (pt)
Quechua: ch'allay
Romanian: binecuvânta (ro), blagoslovi (ro)
Romansch: benedir, banadir, banadeir
Russian: благословля́ть (ru) impf (blagoslovljátʹ), благослови́ть (ru) pf (blagoslovítʹ)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: благосло̀вити pf
Roman: blagoslòviti (sh) pf
Slovak: žehnať impf, požehnať pf
Slovene: blagosloviti (sl) pf
Sorbian:
Upper Sorbian: žohnować (hsb) impf, požohnować (hsb) pf
Spanish: bendecir (es)
Swedish: välsigna (sv)
Telugu: దీవించు (te) (dīviñcu)
Thai: อวยพร (uai-pɔɔn)
Turkish: kutsamak (tr), takdis etmek (tr)
Ukrainian: благословля́ти (uk) impf (blahoslovljáty), благослови́ти (uk) pf (blahoslovýty)
Venetian: benedir (vec)
Vietnamese: chúc phúc, giáng phúc (vi), ban phúc
Welsh: bendithio (cy)
Zazaki: teqdis kerden, mıbarek kerden

Etymology 2

An ellipsis for an expression such as bless your heart.

Interjection

bless

(UK, Canada, informal) Used as an expression of endearment, gratitude, or (ironically) belittlement.
- 1998, "Peter Coffey", New Alternative View Of Atomic Structure, sci.chem, Usenet:
  Ah bless! You must be the welcoming committee for anyone who dares express ignorance.
- 2000, "Hellraiser", a post in uk.people.teens, Usenet:
  oh bless. *hug* that is not true. nobody here bears a grudge against 13 year old dear or against you.
- 2001, "Will", Am I still here?, uk.religion.pagan, Usenet:
  Aw bless... have white chocolate fudge muffin....a new batch.... made them last night after Nigella....

Anagrams

ESBLs, slebs

Icelandic

Etymology

Presumably a clipping related to the greeting vertu blessaður (literally “be blessed”), compare English God bless.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈplɛs/

Interjection

bless

goodbye, bye

Synonyms

vertu blessaður
vertu bless
bless bless
bæ (informal)

Antonyms

halló
hæ (informal)

Related terms

blessi þig (“bless you, gesundheit”)
blessaður! (“greetings!”)
sæll og blessaður! (“greetings!”)

Westrobothnian

Etymology

Compare Danish blis, Swedish bläs, Old Norse blys, blesóttr.

Noun

bless

mask

Yola

Etymology

From Middle English blessen, from Old English bletsian,, from Proto-West Germanic *blōdisōn.

Verb

bless (simple past blessed)

to bless
- 1867, “A YOLA ZONG”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, number 14:
  Zo bless all oore frends, an God zpeed ee plowe.
  So bless all our friends, and God speed the plough.

References

Jacob Poole (1867), William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, page 90