Wordwyrt

bless

/bˈles/BLES
/bˈlɛs/BLES

Meaningto mark with blood

Common meaning: to make holy

Other meanings: to wish well

Journey through time

  1. Old Englishbletsian‘to bless’sourceB&T
  2. Middle Englishblessensource
  3. Englishbless‘to make holy’ · today

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

  • UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
  • No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
  • US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
  • No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Built on Old English bletsian ‘to mark with blood’.

Did you know: our wording, based on Skeat, Etymological Dictionary (1898), entry BLESS, p. 66 · dictionary scan; Bosworth & Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (1898), entry bletsian, p. 110 · dictionary scan

Roots

  • bletsian Old English “to mark with blood”

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