blossom

¹

[blos-uhm]

noun

Botany.

1. the flower of a plant, especially of one producing an edible fruit.

2. the state of flowering.

   The apple tree is in blossom.

verb (used without object)

1. Botany.,  to produce or yield blossoms.

2. to flourish; develop (often followed by into orout ).

   a writer of commercial jingles who blossomed out into an important composer.

   Synonyms: sprout, burgeon, bloom, thrive

3. (of a parachute) to open.

Blossom

²

[blos-uhm]

noun

1. a first name.

blossom

/ ˈblɒsəm /

noun

1. the flower or flowers of a plant, esp conspicuous flowers producing edible fruit

2. the time or period of flowering (esp in the phrases in blossom, in full blossom )

verb

1. (of plants) to come into flower

2. to develop or come to a promising stage

   youth had blossomed into maturity

Other Word Forms

• blossomless adjective
• blossomy adjective
• outblossom verb (used with object)
• reblossom verb (used without object)
• unblossomed adjective
• unblossoming adjective
• blossoming noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of blossom¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English noun blosme, blossem, Old English blōstm(a), blōsma “flower”; cognate with Middle Dutch bloesem, Middle Low German blosem, blossem; bloom ¹, blow ³

Word History and Origins

Origin of blossom¹

Old English blōstm ; related to Middle Low German blōsem , Latin flōs flower

Example Sentences

“I don’t take for granted that it would have been really easy to write a show where her character never blossomed in that way.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

All three sections brim with short essays on various plant species such as rose, clover, iris, violet, daisy and lily of the valley, which Dior fashioned into silhouettes and blossoming decorative surfaces.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

That dinner blossomed into far more, a romance and business partnership in which she says the 70-year-old billionaire invested in excess of $100 million into a jointly owned tech incubator — before it all fell apart.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Truly, it would be a big week for blossomings.

Read more on Literature

“Grubby at first glance, but if planted properly and given some sunlight and time to grow, they can blossom quite nicely.”

Read more on Literature

Related Words

• bloom 
• develop 
• grow 
• mature 
• prosper 
• succeed 
• thrive 

When To Use

What does blossom mean?

In botany, a blossom is the flower of a plant, normally in its early stages and often referring to a flower that becomes edible fruit, such as apple and cherry blossoms.In botanical terms, a blossom  is a flower that is attached to an edible fruit, such as a tomato blossom, or plant that is known for a product that is not the flower, like a cactus.Blossom also refers to the state of flowering, as in Washington, DC, looks lovely when all the cherry trees are in blossom.To blossom means to produce blossoms. When a plant is blossoming, it has produced flower buds that are in the process of producing petals and opening.Figuratively, to blossom means to flourish or to begin to succeed or develop. If someone tells you that you are blossoming into a good student, they mean you are getting better at your schoolwork or completing your schoolwork.Example: The cherry blossoms unfolding are always the best part of April.