blessing

Pluralblessings

1. 1
   nouncountable

   A fortunate circumstance or piece of good luck.

   Having such supportive neighbors has been a blessing throughout the year.

   The unexpected rain was a blessing for the drought-stricken farms.

   Similargodsend, boon, gift

   Oppositecurse, misfortune, bane

2. 2
   nouncountable

   Something one is grateful for or glad to have.

   A good night's sleep is a blessing he no longer takes for granted.

   Clean drinking water is a blessing that many people overlook.

   Similarboon, gift, godsend

   Oppositecurse

3. 3
   noununcountable

   An act of approving something or giving favor to a person or plan.

   The committee gave its blessing to the new development plan.

   She moved abroad with her family's blessing.

   Similarapproval, consent, permission, sanction, endorsement

   Oppositedisapproval, opposition

   Note

   Here the favor is human, and the phrasing is possessive: someone's blessing is given, had or withheld. In phrases like "without the director's blessing" and "with my blessing," the construction names whose approval counts. David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas (2004) shows the edge it can take in speech. In "Jocasta had my blessing when she seduced you," the speaker turns sanction into a taunt.

4. 4
   nouncountable

   A spoken pronouncement that calls for divine aid or protection.

   The bishop delivered a blessing upon the congregation.

   Sailors received a blessing before setting out to sea.

   Similarbenediction

   Oppositecurse

   Note

   In church this sense takes fixed phrasing. It usually carries the definite article, and the verb it pairs with is pronounce. In W. B. Maxwell's The Mirror and the Lamp (1918), the congregation kneels, the blessing is pronounced, and the choir files out, so the blessing closes the rite. Compare the grace before meals, which is a blessing said at the table rather than from the altar.

5. 5
   nouncountable

   Divine or supernatural aid, or a reward granted by a higher power.

   Many cultures view a child's birth as a blessing from the gods.

   The villagers thanked the heavens for the blessing of rain.

   Similargift, boon, godsend

   Oppositecurse

   Note

   The word is built in plain sight: Old English blētsung is bless plus -ing, carried through Middle English blessinge. In this sense a blessing is a power in its own right, something granted that then acts on the world. Tennyson's In Memoriam (1850) shows how active it can be: "My blessing, like a line of light, / Is on the waters day and night". There the blessing travels, shines and guards.

6. 6
   nouncountable

   A short prayer of thanks said before a meal; grace.

   The family paused to say a blessing before the holiday feast.

   He was asked to offer the blessing at Thanksgiving dinner.

   Similargrace

7. 7
   verb

   Present participle and gerund of bless.

   The crowd watched the pope blessing the gathered pilgrims.

   Blessing the harvest was an annual tradition in the village.

   Note

   The verb form shares its spelling with every noun sense of the word, and what follows it tells them apart. As a participle or gerund it takes a direct object, as in "blessing the harvest" or "the pope blessing pilgrims." The noun needs "of" instead: "the blessing of the harvest." In progressive tenses it follows a form of "be," as in "the priest was blessing the boats."

8. 8
   nouncountable

   A ceremony in modern paganism performed to consecrate, celebrate, or honor a person, place, or event.

   The coven gathered at dawn for a blessing of the newborn.

   Their handfasting included a blessing led by the high priestess.

   Note

   Modern paganism uses the word for a whole rite rather than a single spoken formula. In Pagan and Wiccan practice it consecrates a person, object or space, often calling on deities or elemental forces. It marks occasions such as births, unions and seasonal festivals. Unlike the church pronouncement, it is something a group gathers to hold, not only words a priest says over them.

9. 9
   nouncountable

   A group of unicorns regarded collectively.

   Old legends describe a blessing of unicorns appearing only to the pure of heart.

   In the tapestry, a blessing of unicorns surrounds a maiden in a walled garden.

   Note

   This is a collective noun in the playful tradition of a murder of crows, and it is used as a knowing joke. Betsy Schiffman adds "a blessing of unicorns and one million dollars" to a 2008 wish list. Suzette Mayr's Monoceros (2011) uses the phrase for a teenager's hoard of unicorn posters, figurines and stickers. Use it with a wink, since the herd it names is imaginary.

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