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bloom

 - 8 dictionary results
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bloom

1  [bloom]
Use bloom in a Sentence
–noun
1. the flower of a plant.
2. flowers collectively: the bloom of the cherry tree.
3. state of having the buds opened: The gardens are all in bloom.
4. a flourishing, healthy condition; the time or period of greatest beauty, artistry, etc.: the bloom of youth; the bloom of Romanticism.
5. a glow or flush on the cheek indicative of youth and health: a serious illness that destroyed her bloom.
6. the glossy, healthy appearance of the coat of an animal.
7. a moist, lustrous appearance indicating freshness in fish.
8. redness or a fresh appearance on the surface of meat.
9. Botany. a whitish powdery deposit or coating, as on the surface of certain fruits and leaves: the bloom of the grape.
10. any similar surface coating or appearance: the bloom of newly minted coins.
11. any of certain minerals occurring as powdery coatings on rocks or other minerals.
12. Also called chill. a clouded or dull area on a varnished or lacquered surface.
13. Also called algal bloom, water bloom. the sudden development of conspicuous masses of organisms, as algae, on the surface of a body of water.
14. Television. image spread produced by excessive exposure of highlights in a television image.
–verb (used without object)
15. to produce or yield blossoms.
16. to flourish or thrive: a recurrent fad that blooms from time to time.
17. 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.
18. to glow with warmth or with a warm color.
–verb (used with object)
19. to cause to yield blossoms.
20. to make bloom or cause to flourish: a happiness that blooms the cheek.
21. to invest with luster or beauty: an industry that blooms one's talents.
22. to cause a cloudy area on (something shiny); dampen; chill: Their breath bloomed the frosty pane.
23. Optics. to coat (a lens) with an antireflection material.
—Idioms
24. 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.
25. the bloom is off (the rose), the excitement, enjoyment, interest, etc., has ended or been dampened.
Origin:
1150–1200; (n.) ME blom, blome < ON blōm, blōmi; c. Goth blōma lily, G Blume flower; akin to blow 3 ; (v.) ME blomen, deriv. of the n.

Related forms:
bloomless, adjective

Synonyms:
1. blossom. 3. efflorescence. 4. freshness, glow, flush; vigor, prime. 25, 15. effloresce.
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bloom

2  [bloom] Metalworking.
–noun
1. a piece of steel, square or slightly oblong in section, reduced from an ingot to dimensions suitable for further rolling.
2. 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)
3. to make (an ingot) into a bloom.
Origin:
bef. 1000; repr. AL, AF blomes (pl.), OE blōma mass of iron; perh. akin to bloom 1

Bloom

  [bloom]
–noun
Harold, born 1930, U.S. literary critic and teacher.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To bloom
bloom 1   (blōōm)   
n.  

    1. The flower of a plant.

    2. Something resembling the flower of a plant: "Her hair was caught all to one side in a great bloom of frizz" (Anne Tyler).

    3. The condition of being in flower: a rose in full bloom.

    4. A condition or time of vigor, freshness, and beauty; prime: "the radiant bloom of Greek genius" (Edith Hamilton).

    5. A waxy or powdery whitish to bluish coating on the surface of certain plant parts, as on cabbage leaves or on a plum or grape.

    6. A similar coating, as on newly minted coins.

    7. Grayish blotches or streaks on the surface of chocolate produced by the formation of cocoa butter crystals.

    8. Chemistry See efflorescence.

    1. The condition of being in flower: a rose in full bloom.

    2. A condition or time of vigor, freshness, and beauty; prime: "the radiant bloom of Greek genius" (Edith Hamilton).

    3. A waxy or powdery whitish to bluish coating on the surface of certain plant parts, as on cabbage leaves or on a plum or grape.

    4. A similar coating, as on newly minted coins.

    5. Grayish blotches or streaks on the surface of chocolate produced by the formation of cocoa butter crystals.

    6. Chemistry See efflorescence.

  3. A fresh, rosy complexion: "She was short, plump, and fair, with a fine bloom" (Jane Austen).

    1. A waxy or powdery whitish to bluish coating on the surface of certain plant parts, as on cabbage leaves or on a plum or grape.

    2. A similar coating, as on newly minted coins.

    3. Grayish blotches or streaks on the surface of chocolate produced by the formation of cocoa butter crystals.

    4. Chemistry See efflorescence.

  5. Glare that is caused by a shiny object reflecting too much light into a television camera.

  6. A visible, colored area on the surface of bodies of water caused by excessive planktonic growth.

v.   bloomed, bloom·ing, blooms

v.   intr.

    1. To bear a flower or flowers.

    2. To support plant life in abundance: rains that made the yard bloom.

  2. To shine; glow.

  3. To grow or flourish with youth and vigor.

  4. To appear or expand suddenly: White vapor bloomed from the side of the rocket's fuel tank.

v.   tr.

  1. To cause to flourish.

  2. Obsolete To cause to flower.


[Middle English blom, from Old Norse blōm; see bhel-3 in Indo-European roots.]
bloom'y adj.
Synonyms: These nouns denote a condition or time of greatest vigor and freshness: beauty in full bloom; the blossom of a great romance; the efflorescence of humanitarianism; the florescence of Greek civilization; in the flower of youthful enthusiasm; in the flush of their success; the prime of life.
bloom 2   (blōōm)   
n.  

  1. A bar of steel prepared for rolling.

  2. A mass of wrought iron ready for further working.


[Middle English blome, lump of metal, from Old English blōma; see bhel-3 in Indo-European roots.]
Bloom   (blōōm)   
American literary theorist and scholar whose works include The Anxiety of Influence (1972).
ef·flo·res·cence   (ěf'lə-rěs'əns)   
n.  

  1. Botany A state or time of flowering; anthesis.

    1. A gradual process of unfolding or developing.

    2. The highest point; the culmination. See Synonyms at bloom1.

    3. The deposit that results from the process of efflorescing. Also called bloom1.

    4. The process of efflorescing.

    5. A growth of salt crystals on a surface caused by evaporation of salt-laden water.

  3. Chemistry

    1. The deposit that results from the process of efflorescing. Also called bloom1.

    2. The process of efflorescing.

    3. A growth of salt crystals on a surface caused by evaporation of salt-laden water.

  4. Pathology Redness, a rash, or an eruption on the skin.

ef'flo·res'cent adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

bloom 
c.1200, a northern word, from O.N. blomi "flower, blossom," also collectively "flowers and foliage on trees," from P.Gmc. *blomon (cf. O.S. blomo, Du. bloem, Ger. Blume), from PIE *bhle- (cf. O.Ir. blath "blossom, flower," L. flos "flower," florere "to blossom, flourish"), extended form of *bhel- "to thrive, bloom, sprout" (see bole). O.E. had cognate bloma, but only in the fig. sense of "state of greatest beauty;" the main word in O.E. for "flower" was blostm (see blossom). Related to O.E. blowan "to flower" (see blow (v.2)). British blooming, slang for "full-blown" (1882), is often euphemistic for bloody.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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