bless

English

Pronunciation

• enPR: blĕs, X-SAMPA: /blɛs/, X-SAMPA: /blEs/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛs

Etymology 1

From Middle English blessen, from Old English blētsian, blēdsian (“to consecrate (with blood)”), from Proto-Germanic *blōþisōną (“to sprinkle, mark or hallow with blood”), from *blōþą (“blood”), from Proto-Indo-European *bhlo-to- (“to gush, spurt”), from *bhol-, *bhlē-dh-, *bhlō(w)- (“to thrive, flourish, bloom”). Cognate with Old Norse bletza (“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)

1. To make something blessed, to confer blessing upon.
2. (Perl programming, transitive) (past tense only blessed) To turn (a reference) into an object.

Antonyms

• curse
• condemn

Related terms

• blessed
• blessing

Translations

convey blessing on

• Albanian: bekoj (sq)
• Arabic: بارك (ar) (baaraka)
• Bulgarian: благославям (bg) (blagoslavjam)
• Catalan: beneir (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 保佑 (cmn) (bǎoyòu), 佑 (cmn) (yòu)

• Czech: požehnat (cs)
• Danish: velsigne (da), (archaic) signe (da)
• Dutch: zegenen (nl)
• Esperanto: beni (eo)
• Finnish: siunata (fi)
• French: bénir (fr)

  Old French: beneïr

• Georgian: ლოცვა (ka) (loc'va)
• German: segnen (de), (obsolete) benedeien (de)
• Greek: ευλογώ (el) (evlogó)
• Hebrew: ברך (he) (berákh)

• Hungarian: megáld (hu)
• Icelandic: blessa (is)
• Italian: benedire (it)
• Japanese: 恵む (ja) (megumu)
• Jèrriais: béni
• Luxembourgish: seenen (lb)
• Norwegian: velsigne (no), signa (no), blessa (no)
• Polish: błogosławić (pl)
• Portuguese: abençoar (pt), bendizer (pt)
• Romanian: binecuvânta (ro), blagoslovi (ro)
• Russian: благословлять (ru) (blagoslovlját') impf., благословить (ru) (blagoslovít') pf.
• Serbo-Croatian: blagoslòviti (sh)
• Slovene: blagosloviti (sl)
• Spanish: bendecir (es)
• Swedish: välsigna (sv)
• Telugu: దీవించు (te) (deeviMchu)
• Turkish: please add this translation if you can

Etymology 2

An ellipsis for an expression such as bless your heart

Interjection

bless

1. (UK, informal) Used as an expression of endearment, or (ironically) belittlement.
   • 1998, "Peter Coffey", New Alternative View Of Atomic Structure (on Internet newsgroup sci.chem)

     Ah bless! You must be the welcoming committee for anyone who dares express ignorance.

   • 2000, "Hellraiser" (on Internet newsgroup uk.people.teens)

     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? (on Internet newsgroup uk.religion.pagan)

     Aw bless... have white chocolate fudge muffin....a new batch.... made them last night after Nigella....

Anagrams

• slebs

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Icelandic

Interjection

bless

1. goodbye, bye