bloom

[ bloom ]

/ blum /

noun

the flower of a plant.

flowers collectively: the bloom of the cherry tree.

state of having the buds opened: The gardens are all in bloom.

a flourishing, healthy condition; the time or period of greatest beauty, artistry, etc.: the bloom of youth; the bloom of Romanticism.

a glow or flush on the cheek indicative of youth and health: a serious illness that destroyed her bloom.

the glossy, healthy appearance of the coat of an animal.

a moist, lustrous appearance indicating freshness in fish.

redness or a fresh appearance on the surface of meat.

Botany. a whitish powdery deposit or coating, as on the surface of certain fruits and leaves: the bloom of the grape.

any similar surface coating or appearance: the bloom of newly minted coins.

any of certain minerals occurring as powdery coatings on rocks or other minerals.

Also called chill. a clouded or dull area on a varnished or lacquered surface.

Also called algal bloom, water bloom . the sudden development of conspicuous masses of organisms, as algae, on the surface of a body of water.

Television. image spread produced by excessive exposure of highlights in a television image.

verb (used without object)

to produce or yield blossoms.

to flourish or thrive: a recurrent fad that blooms from time to time.

to be in or achieve a state of healthful beauty and vigor: a sickly child who suddenly bloomed; a small talent that somehow bloomed into major artistry.

to glow with warmth or with a warm color.

verb (used with object)

to cause to yield blossoms.

to make bloom or cause to flourish: a happiness that blooms the cheek.

to invest with luster or beauty: an industry that blooms one's talents.

to cause a cloudy area on (something shiny); dampen; chill: Their breath bloomed the frosty pane.

Optics. to coat (a lens) with an antireflection material.

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Idioms for bloom

take the bloom off, to remove the enjoyment or ultimate satisfaction from; dampen the enthusiasm over: The coach's illness took the bloom off the team's victory.

the bloom is off (the rose), the excitement, enjoyment, interest, etc., has ended or been dampened.

Origin of bloom

First recorded in 1150–1200; (noun) Middle English blom, blome, from Old Norse blōm, blōmi; cognate with Gothic blōma “lily,” German Blume “flower”; akin to blow³; (verb) Middle English blomen, derivative of the noun

SYNONYMS FOR bloom

1 blossom.

3 efflorescence.

4 freshness, glow, flush; vigor, prime.

15, 16 effloresce.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR bloom ON THESAURUS.COM

historical usage of bloom

Bloom “flower” comes from the Proto-Indo-European root bhel-, bhol-, bhlē-, bhlō- (with still other variants) “to bloom, thrive.” Initial Proto-Indo-European bh- usually becomes b- in the Germanic languages, f- in the ancient Italic languages (Latin, Oscan, Umbrian), and ph- in Greek. Therefore the root variant bhlō- yields Latin flōs (inflectional stem flōr- ) “flower” and its derivatives flōrēre “to blossom, bloom” and flōrescere “to come into bloom,” from which English derives florescence and florescent. Flower and flour, which English borrowed from Old French, were originally only spelling variants. The root variant bhol- yields folium in Latin and phúllon in Greek, both meaning “leaf.”

OTHER WORDS FROM bloom

bloomless, adjective

Words nearby bloom

bloody-minded, bloody-nosed beetle, bloody shirt, blooey, blook, bloom, bloomed, bloomer, bloomers, bloomery, Bloomfield

Definition for bloom (2 of 3)

bloom²

[ bloom ]

/ blum /

Metalworking.

noun

a piece of steel, square or slightly oblong in section, reduced from an ingot to dimensions suitable for further rolling.

a large lump of iron and slag, of pasty consistency when hot, produced in a puddling furnace or bloomery and hammered into wrought iron.

verb (used with object)

to make (an ingot) into a bloom.

Origin of bloom

before 1000; representing Anglo-Latin, Anglo-French blomes (plural), Old English blōma mass of iron; perhaps akin to bloom¹

Definition for bloom (3 of 3)

Bloom

[ bloom ]

/ blum /

noun

Harold, born 1930, U.S. literary critic and teacher.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for bloom

Cyanobacterial blooms occur when still, warm water—like a pond—has so much nitrogen and phosphorus that the algae are able to breed and grow at an extremely fast rate, spreading throughout the pond.
More than 350 elephants died in Botswana, and we may finally know why|Kat Eschner|September 24, 2020|Popular Science
It’s a condition where an overgrowth of algae, known as a bloom, removes a lot of oxygen from the water.
A dirty and growing problem: Too few toilets|Stephanie Parker|September 24, 2020|Science News For Students
“The ability to tie back to business outcomes is always going to be attractive,” Bloom added.
‘The more culture you own’: Condé Nast pursues more revenue growth with new brand-strength metric|Max Willens|September 18, 2020|Digiday
If you look closely, part of the bloom resembles an elephant’s trunk.
How a Wasteland Shrub Is Becoming the Next Big Thing in Fashion|Daniel Malloy|August 28, 2020|Ozy

Margaret Mead and Ruth Benedict were among them—and the source of the problem, as Bloom saw it.
Gender Is What You Make of It - Issue 88: Love & Sex|Charles King|August 5, 2020|Nautilus
About Blood Meridian, Bloom has said, “The violence is the book.”
Compliments Are Nice, but Enough With the Cormac McCarthy Comparisons|William Giraldi|October 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If you've ever questioned Justin Bieber's masculinity, he was almost knocked out by ORLANDO BLOOM.
13 Celebrities Who Dissed Justin Bieber|Kevin Fallon|August 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Bloom says we ought to think of truth as resembling a scientific hypothesis that helps us hold together our bits of knowledge.
Frank Schaeffer, the Atheist Who Believes in God|Nick Tabor|August 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
No one knows if Kerr actually succumbed to Bieber's "boyish" "charms," but she and Bloom did end up separating in 2013.
An Unlikely Hero Blooms in Ibiza: Orlando Bloom Sort of Punches Justin Bieber|Amy Zimmerman|July 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At the end of the day, Bloom emerges as an unlikely hero: former sexy elf turned Justin Bieber-punching everyman.
An Unlikely Hero Blooms in Ibiza: Orlando Bloom Sort of Punches Justin Bieber|Amy Zimmerman|July 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She met the florist coming out, for he had just completed the decorating, and the place was a mass of bloom.
Mildred's Inheritance|Annie Fellows Johnston
Flowers line the pathways, the moors are pink with bloom, the undergrowth teems with darting wings.
The Ink-Stain, Complete|Rene Bazin
If ever there be an excuse for falling asleep out of bed, surely it is when stretched at full length upon heather in bloom.
David Elginbrod|George MacDonald
In his hand he held a switch and with it he was slowly cutting at a bloom on a vine that grew about the tree.
The Jucklins|Opie Read
Had Bloom and Stephen been baptised, and where and by whom, cleric or layman?
Ulysses|James Joyce

British Dictionary definitions for bloom (1 of 2)

bloom¹

/ (bluːm) /

noun

a blossom on a flowering plant; a flower

the state, time, or period when flowers open (esp in the phrases in bloom, in full bloom)

open flowers collectivelya tree covered with bloom

a healthy, vigorous, or flourishing condition; prime (esp in the phrase the bloom of youth)

youthful or healthy rosiness in the cheeks or face; glow

a fine whitish coating on the surface of fruits, leaves, etc, consisting of minute grains of a waxy substance

any coating similar in appearance, such as that on new coins

ecology a visible increase in the algal constituent of plankton, which may be seasonal or due to excessive organic pollution

Also called: chill a dull area formed on the surface of gloss paint, lacquer, or varnish

verb (mainly intr)

(of flowers) to open; come into flower

to bear flowers; blossom

to flourish or grow

to be in a healthy, glowing, or flourishing condition

(tr) physics to coat (a lens) with a thin layer of a substance, often magnesium fluoride, to eliminate surface reflection

Word Origin for bloom

C13: of Germanic origin; compare Old Norse blōm flower, Old High German bluomo, Middle Dutch bloeme; see blow ³

British Dictionary definitions for bloom (2 of 2)

bloom²

/ (bluːm) /

noun

a rectangular mass of metal obtained by rolling or forging a cast ingotSee also billet 1 (def. 2)

verb

(tr) to convert (an ingot) into a bloom by rolling or forging

Word Origin for bloom

Old English blōma lump of metal

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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