Bless

• POS: Verb (usu participle)

CIDE DICTIONARY

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

•  To make or pronounce holy; to consecrate  [1913 Webster]

  "And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it."  [1913 Webster]
•  To make happy, blithesome, or joyous; to confer prosperity or happiness upon; to grant divine favor to.  [1913 Webster]

  "The quality of mercy is . . . twice blest;
  It blesseth him that gives and him that takes."  [1913 Webster]

  "It hath pleased thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue forever before thee."  [1913 Webster]
•  To express a wish or prayer for the happiness of; to invoke a blessing upon; -- applied to persons.  [1913 Webster]

  "Bless them which persecute you."  [1913 Webster]
•  To invoke or confer beneficial attributes or qualities upon; to invoke or confer a blessing on, -- as on food.  [1913 Webster]

  "Then he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed them."  [1913 Webster]
•  To make the sign of the cross upon; to cross (one's self).  Holinshed.  [1913 Webster]
•  To guard; to keep; to protect.  [1913 Webster]
•  To praise, or glorify; to extol for excellences.  [1913 Webster]

  "Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name."  [1913 Webster]
•  To esteem or account happy; to felicitate.  [1913 Webster]

  "The nations shall bless themselves in him."  [1913 Webster]
•  To wave; to brandish.  [1913 Webster]

  " This is an old sense of the word, supposed by Johnson, Nares, and others, to have been derived from the old rite of blessing a field by directing the hands to all parts of it. “In drawing [their bow] some fetch such a compass as though they would turn about and bless all the field.”"  Ascham.  [1913 Webster]

  "And burning blades about their heads do bless."  [1913 Webster]

  "Round his armed head his trenchant blade he blest."  [1913 Webster]

  "To bless the doors from nightly harm."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Bless, v.tr. (past and past part. blessed, poet. blest)
1 (of a priest etc.) pronounce words, esp. in a religious rite, asking for divine favour; ask God to look favourably on (bless this house).
2 a consecrate (esp. bread and wine). b sanctify by the sign of the cross.
3 call (God) holy; adore.
4 attribute one's good fortune to (an auspicious time, one's fate, etc.); thank (bless the day I met her; bless my stars).
5 (usu. in passive; often foll. by with) make happy or successful (blessed with children; they were truly blessed).
6 euphem. curse; damn (bless the boy!).

Idiom

(God) bless me (or my soul) an exclamation of surprise, pleasure, indignation, etc. (God) bless you!
1 an exclamation of endearment, gratitude, etc.
2 an exclamation made to a person who has just sneezed. I'm (or well, I'm) blessed (or blest) an exclamation of surprise etc. not have a penny to bless oneself with be impoverished.

Etymology

OE bloedsian, bledsian, bletsian, f. blod blood (hence mark with blood, consecrate): meaning infl. by its use at the conversion of the English to translate L benedicare praise

THESAURUS

Bless

OK, accept, acknowledge, admire, adore, adulate, apotheosize, approve, approve of, arm, armor, beatify, belaud, bepraise, bless the Lord, bless with, blow up, boast of, brag about, canonize, celebrate, champion, cheer, cleanse, cloak, compass about, compliment, congratulate, consecrate, copyright, countenance, cover, credit, cross, cry up, cushion, dedicate, defend, deify, devote, dower, doxologize, emblazon, endorse, endow, endow with, enshrine, ensure, esteem, eulogize, exalt, extol, favor, favor with, felicitate, fence, fend, flatter, furnish, give, give benediction, give credit, give thanks, gladden, glorify, glorify the Lord, grace, grace with, gratulate, guarantee, guard, hallow, happify, harbor, haven, hero-worship, hold with, hymn, idolize, insure, invest, invoke benefits upon, keep, keep from harm, keep in countenance, laud, lay hands on, lionize, magnify, make acknowledgments of, make happy, make much of, make safe, nestle, offer thanks, overpraise, panegyrize, patent, pay tribute, police, porter aux nues, praise, praise God, protect, provide, puff, puff up, purify, recognize, register, rejoice with, render credit, render thanks, respect, return thanks, revere, ride shotgun for, safeguard, saint, salute, sanctify, sanction, screen, secure, set apart, settle on, settle upon, shelter, shield, shroud, sing praises, supply, take kindly to, thank, think well of, trumpet, underwrite, uphold, vest, vest with, view with favor

ROGET THESAURUS

Bless

Deity

VB create, move, uphold, preserve, govern, atone, redeem, save, propitiate, mediate, predestinate, elect, call, ordain, bless, justify, sanctify, glorify Adj, almighty, holy, hallowed, sacred, divine, heavenly, celestial, sacrosanct, all-knowing, all-seeing, all-wise, omniscient, superhuman, supernatural, ghostly, spiritual, hyperphysical, unearthly, theistic, theocratic, anointed, soterial.

Pleasurableness

VB cause pleasure, produce pleasure, create pleasure, give pleasure, afford pleasure, procure pleasure, offer pleasure, present pleasure, yield pleasure, please, charm, delight, becharm, imparadise, gladden, take, captivate, fascinate, enchant, entrance, enrapture, transport, bewitch, enravish, bless, beatify, satisfy, gratify, desire, slake, satiate, quench, indulge, humor, flatter, tickle, tickle the palate, regale, refresh, enliven, treat, amuse, take one's fancy, tickle one's fancy, hit one's fancy, meet one's wishes, win the heart, gladden the heart, rejoice the heart, warm the cockles of the heart, do one's heart good, attract, allure, stimulate, interest, make things pleasant, popularize, gild the pill, sugar-coat the pill, sweeten.

Worship

VB worship, lift up the heart, aspire, revere, adore, do service, pay homage, humble oneself, kneel, bow the knee, bend the knee, fall down, fall on one's knees, prostrate oneself, bow down and worship, pray, invoke, supplicate, put up, offer up prayers, offer petitions, beseech, say one's prayers, tell one's beads, return thanks, give thanks, say grace, bless, praise, laud, glorify, magnify, sing praises, give benediction, lead the choir, intone, deacon, deacon off propitiate, offer sacrifice, fast, deny oneself, vow, offer vows, give alms, work out one's salvation, go to church, attend service, attend mass, communicate.

Approbation

VB approve, approbate, think good, think much of, think well of, think highly of, esteem, value, prize, set great store by, set great store on, do justice to, appreciate, honor, hold in esteem, look up to, admire, like, be in favor of, wish Godspeed, hail, hail with satisfaction, stand up for, stick up for, uphold, hold up, countenance, sanction, clap on the back, pat on the back, keep in countenance, indorse, give credit, recommend, mark with a white mark, mark with a stone, commend, belaud, praise, laud, compliment, pay a tribute, bepraise, clap the hands, applaud, cheer, acclamate, encore, panegyrize, eulogize, cry up, proner, puff, extol, extol to the skies, magnify, glorify, exalt, swell, make much of, flatter, bless, give a blessing to, have a good word for, say a good word for, speak well of, speak highly of, speak in high terms of, sing the praises of, sound the praises of, chaunt the praises of, resound the praises of, sing praises to, cheer to the echo, applaud to the echo, applaud to the very echo, cheer to the very echo, redound to the honor, redound to the praise, redound to the credit of, do credit to, deserve praise, recommend itself, pass muster, be praised, receive honorable mention, be in favor with, be in high favor with, ring with the praises of, win golden opinions, gain credit, find favor with, stand well in the opinion of, laudari a laudato viro.