bless

Verb

bless (third-person singular simple present blesses, present participle blessing, simple past and past participle blest or blessed)

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.
   • In many families, a grace is said before dinner to give thanks for and bless the food.
3. To honor as holy, glorify; to extol for excellence.
   • A Pſalme of Dauid. Bleſſe the Lord, O my ſoule: and all that is within me, bleſſe his holy Name.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Psalms 103:1, column 2
4. To esteem or account happy; to felicitate.
   • And thou ſhalt ſweare, The Lord liueth, in Trueth, in Iudgement, and in Righteouſnes, and the nations ſhall bleſſe themſelues in him, and in him ſhall they glorie.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Jeremiah 4:2, column 1
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. (obsolete) To wave; to brandish.
   • And burning blades about their heads do blesse.1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto V”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 6
   • Round his armed head his trenchant blade he blest.1600, [Torquato Tasso], “(please specify |book=1 to 20)”, in Edward Fairefax [i.e., Edward Fairfax], transl., Godfrey of Bulloigne, or The Recouerie of Ierusalem. […], London: […] Ar[nold] Hatfield...
7. (transitive, Perl programming, past tense only blessed) To turn (a reference) into an object.
8. (archaic) To secure, defend, or prevent from.
   • Bless me from marrying a usurer.c. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount...
   • To bleſs the dores from nightly harma. 1645, John Milton, “Il Penseroso”, in Poems of Mr. John Milton, […], London: […] Ruth Raworth for Humphrey Mosely, […], published 1646, →OCLC, page 40
9. (slang) 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?
10. (transitive) To approve of or assent to.
    • After those modifications, the Board blessed the reorganization plan.
11. (Philippines) 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.

Interjection

1. (Canada, UK, informal) 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)

Proper noun capitalized: Bless

Bless (plural Blesses)

1. A surname from German.