blessing
祝福,幸事;保佑,保護,准許
Bless v. t. [imp. & p. p. Blessed or Blest; p. pr. & vb. n. Blessing.]
1. To make or pronounce holy; to consecrate
And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it. --Gen. ii. 3.
2. To make happy, blithesome, or joyous; to confer prosperity or happiness upon; to grant divine favor to.
The quality of mercy is . . . twice blest;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes. --Shak.
It hath pleased thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue forever before thee. --1 Chron. xvii. 27 (R. V. )
3. To express a wish or prayer for the happiness of; to invoke a blessing upon; -- applied to persons.
Bless them which persecute you. --Rom. xii. 14.
4. To invoke or confer beneficial attributes or qualities upon; to invoke or confer a blessing on, -- as on food.
Then he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed them. --Luke ix. 16.
5. To make the sign of the cross upon; to cross (one's self). [Archaic]
6. To guard; to keep; to protect. [Obs.]
7. To praise, or glorify; to extol for excellences.
Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. --Ps. ciii. 1.
8. To esteem or account happy; to felicitate.
The nations shall bless themselves in him. --Jer. iv. 3.
9. To wave; to brandish. [Obs.]
And burning blades about their heads do bless. --Spenser.
Round his armed head his trenchant blade he blest. --Fairfax.
Note: ☞ 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.”
Bless me! Bless us! an exclamation of surprise. --Milton.
To bless from, to secure, defend, or preserve from. “Bless me from marrying a usurer.” --Shak.
To bless the doors from nightly harm. --Milton.
-- To bless with, To be blessed with, to favor or endow with; to be favored or endowed with; as, God blesses us with health; we are blessed with happiness.
◄ ►
Bless·ing, n.
1. The act of one who blesses.
2. A declaration of divine favor, or an invocation imploring divine favor on some or something; a benediction; a wish of happiness pronounces.
This is the blessing, where with Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel. --Deut. xxxiii. 1.
3. A means of happiness; that which promotes prosperity and welfare; a beneficent gift.
Nature's full blessings would be well dispensed. --Milton.
4. Bib. A gift. [A Hebraism]
5. Grateful praise or worship.
◄ ►
blessing
n 1: the formal act of giving approval; "he gave the project his
blessing"; "his decision merited the approval of any
sensible person" [syn: approval, approving] [ant: disapproval]
2: a desirable state; "enjoy the blessings of peace"; "a
spanking breeze is a boon to sailors" [syn: boon]
3: a short prayer of thanks before a meal [syn: grace, thanksgiving]
4: a ceremonial prayer invoking divine protection [syn: benediction]
5: the act of praying for divine protection [syn: benediction]