blessing

From Middle English blessinge, blessynge, from Old English blētsung, blēdsung (“a blessing”), equivalent to bless +‎ -ing.

• IPA^(key): /ˈblɛs.ɪŋ/

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• Rhymes: -ɛsɪŋ

blessing (plural blessings)

1. Some kind of divine or supernatural aid, or reward.
2. A pronouncement invoking divine aid.
   • 1918, W. B. Maxwell, chapter 5, in The Mirror and the Lamp:

     Then everybody once more knelt, and soon the blessing was pronounced. The choir and the clergy trooped out slowly, […], down the nave to the western door. […] At a seemingly immense distance the surpliced group stopped to say the last prayer.

3. Good fortune.
4. (paganism) A modern pagan ceremony.
5. The act of declaring or bestowing favor; approval.

   We will not proceed without the executive director's blessing.

   • 2004, David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas

     Jocasta had my blessing when she seduced you, you stuck-up piffler.

6. Something someone is glad of.

   After two weeks of sun, last night's rainfall was a blessing.

7. A prayer before a meal; grace.
8. A group of unicorns.
   • 2008, Betsy Schiffman, "Time To Trash the Intellectual Property System, Says Report", Wired, 11 September 2008:

     And since we’re laying out our wishes, we’d also like a blessing of unicorns and one million dollars.

   • 2009, Andrew Orlowski, "Facebook music dashboard: Revenue at last?", The Register, 13 September 2011:

     Then a blessing of unicorns charged into the studio, and I was carried away to be re-educated.

   • 2011, Suzette Mayr, Monoceros, Coach House Books (2011), →ISBN, page 94:

     She just wants to talk to her friends on www.unicornwillsaveus.com or write in her journal or flump on her bedroom floor with her blessing of unicorns: her posters, figurines, stickers, temporary tattoos of anatomically correct unicorns.

• curse

blessing

1. present participle of bless

• glibness