name
Meaning 1
A surname.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
blessing
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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/ˈblɛs.ɪŋ/
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US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -ɛsɪŋ
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CMU ARPABET: B L EH1 S IH0 NG Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
name
Meaning 2
A unisex given name of mainly African usage.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
Some kind of divine or supernatural aid, or reward.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
A pronouncement invoking divine aid.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 5
Good fortune.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- He was given blessings hoping he would pass his final exam.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 6
A modern pagan ceremony.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: lifestyle, paganism, religion
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 7
The act of declaring or bestowing favor; approval.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- We will not proceed without the executive director's blessing.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 8
Something someone is glad of.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- After two weeks of sun, last night's rainfall was a blessing.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 9
A prayer before a meal; grace.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 10
A group of unicorns.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 11
present participle and gerund of bless
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: form-of, gerund, participle, present
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 12
the act of praying for divine protection
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: benediction
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: prayer, supplication
noun
Meaning 13
the formal act of approving
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- he gave the project his blessing
- his decision merited the approval of any sensible person
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: approval, approving
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: support
Narrower terms: adoption, acceptance, acceptation, espousal, backing, backup, championship, patronage, admiration, appreciation, reward, reinforcement
noun
Meaning 14
a ceremonial prayer invoking divine protection
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: benediction
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: prayer, petition, orison
Narrower terms: benison
noun
Meaning 15
a short prayer of thanks before a meal
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- their youngest son said grace
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: grace, thanksgiving
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: prayer, petition, orison
noun
Meaning 16
a desirable state
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- enjoy the blessings of peace
- a spanking breeze is a boon to sailors
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: boon
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: good fortune, luckiness, good luck
Narrower terms: mercy
History
Etymology
From Middle English blessinge, blessynge, from Old English blētsung, blēdsung (“a blessing”), equivalent to bless + -ing.
Across languages
Translations
185 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Albanian: bekim — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Northern Altai: алгыш (algïš) — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Southern Altai: алкыш (alkïš) — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Arabic: بَرَكَة (baraka) — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Arabic: نِعْمَة (niʕma) — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Armenian: օրհնություն (ōrhnutʻyun) — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Aromanian: urãciuni — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Avestan: 𐬀𐬴𐬌 (aṣ̌i) — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Azerbaijani: bərəkət — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Belarusian: блаславе́нне (blaslavjénnje) — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Belarusian: благаславе́нне (blahaslavjénnje) — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Bengali: বরকত (borkot) — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Bengali: নেয়ামত (neẏamot) — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Bengali: আশীর্বাদ (aśirbad) — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Bulgarian: благослови́я (blagoslovíja) — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Catalan: benedicció — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Chinese Mandarin: 祝福 (zhùfú) — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Ngazidja Comorian: ɓaraka — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Czech: požehnání — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Danish: velsignelse — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Dutch: zegen — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Esperanto: beno — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Finnish: siunaus — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- French: bénédiction — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- French: grâce — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- West-Frisian: segen — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Galician: beizón — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Galician: bendición — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Georgian: კურთხევა (ḳurtxeva) — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- German: Segen — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- German: Segnung — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Gothic: 𐌸𐌹𐌿𐌸𐌴𐌹𐌽𐍃 (þiuþeins) — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Gujarati: આશીર્વાદ (āśīrvād) — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Hausa: albarka — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Hebrew: בְּרָכָה (b'rakhá) — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Hindi: आशीर्वाद (āśīrvād) — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Hindi: आशीष (āśīṣ) — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Hungarian: áldás — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Indonesian: karunia — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Indonesian: anugerah — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Irish: beannacht — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Italian: benedizione — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Japanese: 祝福 (shukufuku) — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Japanese: 恵み (megumi) — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Kapampangan: kalam — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Kazakh: алғыс (alğys) — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Kazakh: бата (bata) — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Korean: 축복 (chukbok) — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Kyrgyz: бата (bata) — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Kyrgyz: алкыш (alkış) — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Latin: benedictiō — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Lutuv: thluechiy — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Macedonian: благослов (blagoslov) — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Maltese: barka — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Manx: bannaght — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Marathi: आशीर्वाद (āśīrvād) — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Middle English: benysoun — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Norman: bénédiction — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Oromo: eebba — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Persian: موهبت (mohebat) — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Persian: برکت (barekat) — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Plautdietsch: Säajen — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Polish: błogosławieństwo — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Portuguese: bênção — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Romanian: binecuvântare — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Romanian: benedicțiune — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Russian: благослове́ние (blagoslovénije) — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Russian: ми́лость (mílostʹ) — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Scottish Gaelic: beannachd — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Serbo-Croatian: бла̏госло̄в — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Serbo-Croatian: blȁgoslōv — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Sidamo: maasso — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Slovak: požehnanie — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Slovene: blagoslov — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Spanish: bendición — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Swahili: baraka — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Swedish: välsignelse — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Tagalog: biyaya — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Tajik: баракат (barakat) — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Tajik: фотиҳа (fotiha) — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Tamil: ஆசீர்வாதம் (ācīrvātam) — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Tatar: бәрәкәт (bäräkät) — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Turkish: bereket — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Ottoman Turkish: بركت (bereket) — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Ottoman Turkish: دعا (duʼâ) — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Ukrainian: благослове́ння (blahoslovénnja) — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Ukrainian: благослові́ння (blahoslovínnja) — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Ukrainian: благослове́нство (blahoslovénstvo) — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Urdu: برکت (barkat) — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Urdu: نعمت (nēmat) — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Welsh: bendith — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Yiddish: ברכה (brokhe) — divine or supernatural aid or reward
- Bulgarian: благослови́я (blagoslovíja) — pronouncement invoking divine aid
- Czech: požehnání — pronouncement invoking divine aid
- Czech: žehnání — pronouncement invoking divine aid
- Danish: velsignelse — pronouncement invoking divine aid
- Dutch: (in)zegening — pronouncement invoking divine aid
- Esperanto: beno — pronouncement invoking divine aid
- Finnish: siunaus — pronouncement invoking divine aid
- Galician: beizón — pronouncement invoking divine aid
- German: Segnen — pronouncement invoking divine aid
- Gothic: 𐍅𐌰𐌹𐌻𐌰𐌵𐌹𐍃𐍃 (wailaqiss) — pronouncement invoking divine aid
- Hungarian: áldás — pronouncement invoking divine aid
- Indonesian: doa restu — pronouncement invoking divine aid
- Irish: beannacht — pronouncement invoking divine aid
- Italian: benedizione — pronouncement invoking divine aid
- Latin: benedictiō — pronouncement invoking divine aid
- Manx: bannaght — pronouncement invoking divine aid
- Middle English: benysoun — pronouncement invoking divine aid
- Papiamentu: bendishon — pronouncement invoking divine aid
- Plautdietsch: Säajen — pronouncement invoking divine aid
- Polish: błogosławieństwo — pronouncement invoking divine aid
- Portuguese: bênção — pronouncement invoking divine aid
- Russian: благослове́ние (blagoslovénije) — pronouncement invoking divine aid
- Scottish Gaelic: beannachd — pronouncement invoking divine aid
- Serbo-Croatian: бла̏госло̄в — pronouncement invoking divine aid
- Serbo-Croatian: blȁgoslōv — pronouncement invoking divine aid
- Swedish: välsignelse — pronouncement invoking divine aid
- Ottoman Turkish: دعا (duʼâ) — pronouncement invoking divine aid
- Ukrainian: благослові́ння (blahoslovínnja) — pronouncement invoking divine aid
- Welsh: bendith — pronouncement invoking divine aid
- Arabic: نِعْمَة (niʕma) — good fortune
- Bengali: নেয়ামত (neẏamot) — good fortune
- Bengali: বর (bor) — good fortune
- Bulgarian: благодат (blagodat) — good fortune
- Czech: požehnání — good fortune
- Dutch: zegen — good fortune
- Finnish: onni — good fortune
- Finnish: tuuri — good fortune
- German: Segen — good fortune
- German: Segnung — good fortune
- Irish: beannacht — good fortune
- Persian: نعمت (ne'mat) — good fortune
- Plautdietsch: Säajen — good fortune
- Polish: błogosławieństwo — good fortune
- Russian: благода́ть (blagodátʹ) — good fortune
- Sanskrit: वर (vara) — good fortune
- Scottish Gaelic: beannachd — good fortune
- Serbo-Croatian: бла̏госло̄в — good fortune
- Serbo-Croatian: blȁgoslōv — good fortune
- Swahili: baraka — good fortune
- Tatar: бәхет (bäxet) — good fortune
- Tatar: уңыш (uñış) — good fortune
- Turkish: talih — good fortune
- Turkish: baht — good fortune
- Welsh: rhad — good fortune
- Dutch: zegening — (paganism) modern pagan ceremony
- Scottish Gaelic: beannachd — (paganism) modern pagan ceremony
- Azerbaijani: xeyir-dua — act of declaring, seeking or bestowing favor
- Dutch: zegenen — act of declaring, seeking or bestowing favor
- Finnish: siunaus — act of declaring, seeking or bestowing favor
- French: bénédiction — act of declaring, seeking or bestowing favor
- German: Segnen — act of declaring, seeking or bestowing favor
- German: Segnung — act of declaring, seeking or bestowing favor
- German: Segenserteilung — act of declaring, seeking or bestowing favor
- German: Segen — act of declaring, seeking or bestowing favor
- Greek: ευλογία (evlogía) — act of declaring, seeking or bestowing favor
- Irish: beannacht — act of declaring, seeking or bestowing favor
- Central Kurdish: خێر (xêr) — act of declaring, seeking or bestowing favor
- Norman: bénédiction — act of declaring, seeking or bestowing favor
- Polish: błogosławieństwo — act of declaring, seeking or bestowing favor
- Portuguese: bênção — act of declaring, seeking or bestowing favor
- Portuguese: benzimento — act of declaring, seeking or bestowing favor
- Portuguese: bendição — act of declaring, seeking or bestowing favor
- Russian: благослове́ние (blagoslovénije) — act of declaring, seeking or bestowing favor
- Russian: моли́тва (molítva) — act of declaring, seeking or bestowing favor
- Scottish Gaelic: beannachd — act of declaring, seeking or bestowing favor
- Serbo-Croatian: бла̏госло̄в — act of declaring, seeking or bestowing favor
- Serbo-Croatian: blȁgoslōv — act of declaring, seeking or bestowing favor
- Swahili: baraka — act of declaring, seeking or bestowing favor
- Arabic: نِعْمَة (niʕma) — thing one is glad of
- Bengali: নেয়ামত (neẏamot) — thing one is glad of
- Finnish: ilonaihe — thing one is glad of
- French: bénédiction — thing one is glad of
- German: Segen — thing one is glad of
- Irish: beannacht — thing one is glad of
- Norman: bénédiction — thing one is glad of
- Polish: błogosławieństwo — thing one is glad of
- Portuguese: bênção — thing one is glad of
- Scottish Gaelic: beannachd — thing one is glad of
- French: troupeau — group of unicorns
- French: harde — group of unicorns
- French: horde — group of unicorns
- French: groupe — group of unicorns
- Swedish: hjord — group of unicorns
Real reading context