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blessing

UK/ˈblɛs.ɪŋ/US/ˈblɛs.ɪŋ/
nounB22 meaningsCommon in everyday speech and writing · #2,487 of 15,258neutral

Other forms: blessings

A blessing is words asking for good to come to somebody. Give a blessing, a father's blessing, count your blessings.

Outside religion it means approval — giving something your blessing — and a blessing is also a piece of good fortune. A blessing in disguise is something bad that turns out well. Note that the Old English word is connected with blood, since blessing once involved marking with it, and was pulled towards bliss by sound.

Alexander Nikanorovich Novoskoltsev · Public domain

Definitions of blessing

  1. 1nounblessingWords asking for good to come to somebody.B2

    “Before the meal, the grandfather said a short blessing over the food.”

  2. 2nounfortuneA piece of good fortune, or approval.B2

    “The rain was a blessing for the dry farmland.”

Too few real examples of this word to estimate which sense is commonest.

blessing is a benediction, or good fortune.

Where it comes from

Old English bletsung comes from bletsian, to consecrate, connected with blod, blood. It was drawn towards bliss by sound.

  1. Old English

    blētsung

  2. Middle English

    blessinge

  3. English, today

    blessing

Built from

  • blēdsung · Old English — a blessing

From Middle English blessinge, blessynge, from Old English blētsung, blēdsung (“a blessing”), equivalent to bless + -ing.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in Belief & Ritual

Practise this word

blessing in the wild

  • In Abrahamic religions like Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, God is recognized as the source of all blessing.

    Blessing

  • Outside religion, blessings serve broad social and cultural functions.

    Blessing

  • Kiddush is a blessing recited over wine or grape juice to sanctify Shabbat and Jewish holidays.

    Kiddush

  • The term is sometimes used of such a formula, rather than of an actual blessing.

    Episcopal blessing

  • Ahava rabbah is the name given in Ashkenazi Jewish custom to the blessing recited immediately before the Shema as part of the Shacharit (morning) prayer.

    Ahava rabbah

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

Related words

  • bless
  • a blessing in disguise