blessing

See also: Blessing

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈblɛs.ɪŋ/
  • (file)
  • Rhymes: -ɛsɪŋ

Noun

blessing (plural blessings)

  1. Some kind of divine or supernatural aid, or reward.
  2. A pronouncement invoking divine aid.
    • 1918, W. B. Maxwell, chapter 5, in The Mirror and the Lamp:
      Then everybody once more knelt, and soon the blessing was pronounced. The choir and the clergy trooped out slowly, [], down the nave to the western door. [] At a seemingly immense distance the surpliced group stopped to say the last prayer.
  3. Good fortune.
  4. (paganism) A modern pagan ceremony.
  5. The act of declaring or bestowing favor; approval.
    We will not proceed without the executive director's blessing.
    • 2004, David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas
      Jocasta had my blessing when she seduced you, you stuck-up piffler.
  6. Something someone is glad of.
    After two weeks of sun, last night's rainfall was a blessing.
  7. A prayer before a meal; grace.
  8. A group of unicorns.
    • 2008, Betsy Schiffman, "Time To Trash the Intellectual Property System, Says Report", Wired, 11 September 2008:
      And since we’re laying out our wishes, we’d also like a blessing of unicorns and one million dollars.
    • 2009, Andrew Orlowski, "Facebook music dashboard: Revenue at last?", The Register, 13 September 2011:
      Then a blessing of unicorns charged into the studio, and I was carried away to be re-educated.
    • 2011, Suzette Mayr, Monoceros, Coach House Books (2011), →ISBN, page 94:
      She just wants to talk to her friends on www.unicornwillsaveus.com or write in her journal or flump on her bedroom floor with her blessing of unicorns: her posters, figurines, stickers, temporary tattoos of anatomically correct unicorns.

Antonyms

Derived terms

Translations

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Verb

blessing

  1. present participle of bless

Anagrams

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