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Dictionary / bless

bless

/blɛs/
  • verb
  • interjection
  • from Old English

To make something holy by religious rite, sanctify.

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1 All current definitions

Every sense of “bless” in current use, as recorded by Wiktionary. Older and obsolete senses are kept separately.

verb · etymology 1

  1. To make something holy by religious rite, sanctify.
  2. To invoke divine favor upon.

    In some countries, priests bless farm animals on St. Anthony's Day.

  3. To honor as holy, glorify; to extol for excellence.
  4. To esteem or account happy; to felicitate.
  5. To make the sign of the cross upon, so as to sanctify.

    the archbishop vsing certeine praiers, blessed the king1577, Raphaell Holinshed, The Firste Volume of the Chronicles of England, Scotlande, and Irelande […], volume I, London: […] [Henry Bynneman] for Iohn Harrison, →OCLC:

  6. transitiveTo turn (a reference) into an object.
  7. slangTo give or send.

    Could you bless me the link for the original post?

  8. transitiveTo approve of or assent to.

    After those modifications, the Board blessed the reorganization plan.

  9. PhilippinesTo perform the mano gesture; taking of an elder's hand to press it to one's forehead or kiss it (as a sign of respect)

    You should bless your relatives, because they arrived here already.

Older & obsolete senses (2)
  1. obsoleteTo wave; to brandish.
  2. archaicTo secure, defend, or prevent from.
Wiktionary: “bless” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

interjection · etymology 2

  1. CanadaUKinformalUsed as an expression of endearment, gratitude, or (ironically) belittlement.

    Ah bless! You must be the welcoming committee for anyone who dares express ignorance.1998, Peter Coffey, “New Alternative View Of Atomic Structure”, in sci.chem (Usenet):

Wiktionary: “bless” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0
Cross-check: WordNet senses (4)
  1. verbgive a benediction to
  2. verbconfer prosperity or happiness on
  3. verbmake the sign of the cross over someone in order to call on God for protection; consecrate — also: sign
  4. verbrender holy by means of religious rites — also: consecrate, hallow, sanctify
Princeton WordNet 3.0 — WordNet License

Antonyms: curse, condemn, unbless

Wiktionary: “bless” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

2 History of the word

The etymology, the path the word travelled, and the words built from it.

Etymology 1 (verb)

The word’s journey, newest to oldest:

  1. English (today)bless
  2. Middle Englishblessen
  3. Old Englishbletsian
  4. Proto-West Germanic*blōdisōn “to sprinkle, mark or hallow with blood”
  5. Proto-Germanic*blōþą “blood”
  6. Proto-Indo-European*bʰleh₃- “to bloom”

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.

Wiktionary: “bless” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Etymology 2 (interjection)

An ellipsis for an expression such as bless your heart.

Wiktionary: “bless” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Derivatives — words built from “bless”

beblessblessabilityblessableblesseeblesserblessworthycoblessoutblesspreblessrebless

Phrases & compounds

bless mebless my cotton socksbless my soulbless oneselfbless outbless someone's cotton socksbless someone's heartbless someone withbless upbless usbless youGod bless AmericaGod bless the Duke of ArgyleGod bless the Duke of ArgyllGod bless the markGod bless youGoddess blessGoddess bless yougods bless you

Related terms

blessedblessingbleedblood
Wiktionary: “bless” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Want to go deeper? See also “bless” on Etymonline ↗

3 Original language

Where “bless” came from before it was English.

Etymology 1 (verb)

Native English word, from
Old English
Old English bletsian
Deepest root (reconstructed)
Proto-Indo-European
Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₃- “to bloom”

The source marks part of this history as uncertain (it uses words like “perhaps” or “possibly”). Read the full etymology above before treating any single origin as certain.

Etymology 2 (interjection)

The source does not trace this sense to an earlier language.

Wiktionary: “bless” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

4 Original meaning

What the word meant at the oldest point the record reaches.

Reconstructed Proto-Indo-European root
“to bloom”
Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₃- — rebuilt by linguists from its descendants; never written down.
Wiktionary: “bless” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Historical meaning — Webster’s 1913

A historical record, labelled as such: some of these senses are dated or have since shifted.

bless v. t. [OE. blessien, bletsen, AS. bletsian, bledsian, bloedsian, fr. bl blood; prob. originally to consecrate by sprinkling with blood. See Blood.]

  1. To make or pronounce holy; to consecrate
  2. To make happy, blithesome, or joyous; to confer prosperity or happiness upon; to grant divine favor to.
  3. To express a wish or prayer for the happiness of; to invoke a blessing upon; -- applied to persons.
  4. To invoke or confer beneficial attributes or qualities upon; to invoke or confer a blessing on, -- as on food.
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), public domain, via GCIDE

5 Use it with confidence

Model sentences from the sources, matched to the meaning they show. Read each one aloud, then make your own in the game.

verbMeaning: To invoke divine favor upon.

In some countries, priests bless farm animals on St. Anthony's Day.

In many families, a grace is said before dinner to give thanks for and bless the food.

verbMeaning: To make the sign of the cross upon, so as to sanctify.

the archbishop vsing certeine praiers, blessed the king1577, Raphaell Holinshed, The Firste Volume of the Chronicles of England, Scotlande, and Irelande […], volume I, London: […] [Henry Bynneman] for Iohn Harrison, →OCLC:

verbMeaning: To give or send.

Could you bless me the link for the original post?

I'm actually marved right now, can you bless me some cash?

verbMeaning: To approve of or assent to.

After those modifications, the Board blessed the reorganization plan.

verbMeaning: To perform the mano gesture; taking of an elder's hand to press it to one's forehead or kiss it (as a sign of respect)

You should bless your relatives, because they arrived here already.

interjectionMeaning: Used as an expression of endearment, gratitude, or (ironically) belittlement.

Ah bless! You must be the welcoming committee for anyone who dares express ignorance.1998, Peter Coffey, “New Alternative View Of Atomic Structure”, in sci.chem (Usenet):

oh bless. *hug* that is not true. nobody here bears a grudge against 13 year old dear or against you.2000, Hellraiser, uk.people.teens (Usenet):

verbMeaning: give a benediction to

The dying man blessed his son

Princeton WordNet 3.0 — WordNet License
Wiktionary: “bless” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Three steps to owning it

  1. Pick one meaning above and read its model sentence out loud.
  2. Say who or what the word is about in your own life, then build a sentence around that.
  3. Check it against the definition: would a careful reader understand exactly that meaning?

6 The mastery game

Play it here, or print it and do it with pen and paper. At the end you will know the meanings, history, origin and original meaning — and you will have used the word yourself.

Step 1 of 10

Say it, then spell it

bless

/blɛs/

Say the word out loud three times, slowly. Notice the stressed syllable. When you are ready, hide it and spell it from memory.

Activate Words · Word-mastery worksheet · Name: ______________________ Date: __________

bless

/blɛs/ · verb, interjection

Step 1 — Say it and write it

Say “bless” out loud three times. Then cover the word and write it three times from memory.

Step 2 — Know every meaning

Read each definition. Then write it again in your own words.

1. (verb) To make something holy by religious rite, sanctify.
2. (verb) To invoke divine favor upon.
3. (verb) To honor as holy, glorify; to extol for excellence.
4. (verb) To esteem or account happy; to felicitate.
5. (verb) To make the sign of the cross upon, so as to sanctify.

Step 3 — Which meaning is it?

“In some countries, priests bless farm animals on St. Anthony's Day.”

A. To invoke divine favor upon.
B. To give or send.
C. To make the sign of the cross upon, so as to sanctify.

Circle the meaning used.

“Could you bless me the link for the original post?”

A. To give or send.
B. To make the sign of the cross upon, so as to sanctify.
C. To make something holy by religious rite, sanctify.

Circle the meaning used.

“After those modifications, the Board blessed the reorganization plan.”

A. To esteem or account happy; to felicitate.
B. To invoke divine favor upon.
C. To approve of or assent to.

Circle the meaning used.

Step 4 — History and origin

Which language did “bless” come into English from?   A. Latin  B. Old Norse  C. Old English  D. Late Latin

Write the word’s journey back in time (each language and form):

Write three words built from “bless” and what each means:

Step 5 — Original meaning

The earliest traceable form is Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₃-. What did it mean?

How does that original meaning connect to the meanings today?

Step 6 — Use it yourself

Write a sentence using “bless” to mean: To make something holy by religious rite, sanctify.
Write a sentence using “bless” to mean: To invoke divine favor upon.
Write a sentence using “bless” to mean: To honor as holy, glorify; to extol for excellence.

☐ I can explain its meanings   ☐ I know its history   ☐ I know its original language   ☐ I know its original meaning   ☐ I can use it confidently

Answer key — bless

Which meaning, sentence 1: A. To invoke divine favor upon.

Which meaning, sentence 2: A. To give or send.

Which meaning, sentence 3: C. To approve of or assent to.

Origin: C. Old English (Old English bletsian)

Journey: English bless ← Middle English blessen ← Old English bletsian ← Proto-West Germanic *blōdisōn ← Proto-Germanic *blōþą ← Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₃-

Some derivatives: bebless, blessability, blessable, blessee, blesser, blessworthy, cobless, outbless

Original meaning: Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₃- — “to bloom”

Etymology: 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.

Sources: Wiktionary “bless” (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bless#English), CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org; Princeton WordNet 3.0; Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913, public domain) via GCIDE. Worksheet from https://activatewords.com/w/bless