blessing

[ bles-ing ]

noun

1. the act or words of a person who blesses.
2. a special favor, mercy, or benefit:

   the blessings of liberty.

   Synonyms: bounty, profit, gain, boon, advantage

3. a favor or gift bestowed by God, thereby bringing happiness.
4. the invoking of God's favor upon a person:

   The son was denied his father's blessing.

5. praise; devotion; worship, especially grace said before a meal:

   The children took turns reciting the blessing.

6. approval or good wishes:

   The proposed law had the blessing of the governor.

blessing

/ ˈblɛsɪŋ /

noun

1. the act of invoking divine protection or aid
2. the words or ceremony used for this
3. a short prayer of thanksgiving before or after a meal; grace
4. Also calledbrachahbrocho Judaism
   1. a short prayer prescribed for a specific occasion and beginning "Blessed art thou, O Lord…"
   2. a section of the liturgy including a similar formula
5. approval; good wishes

   her father gave his blessing to the marriage

6. the bestowal of a divine gift or favour
7. a happy event or state of affairs

   a blessing in disguise

Word History and Origins

Origin of blessing¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English blessinge, blessunge, Old English bletsung, bledsung; equivalent to bless + -ing ¹

Idioms and Phrases

In addition to the idiom beginning with blessing , also see give thanks for small blessings ; mixed blessing .

Example Sentences

“Even now when I remember him the grief is such that it’s only with God's blessing that I survive the torment,” he says.

From BBC

And the scout team — there’s a blessing in disguise underneath all of this.

From Los Angeles Times

The new name for the streets, “Tebti,” is a word and blessing that translates to “the streams that flow together” — a reference to the Sacramento and American rivers, which join in West Sacramento.

From Los Angeles Times

The weight of that history — at a school known both for its wellspring of quarterbacks and lineage of Polynesian stars — hasn’t been lost on Maiava, who called it “a blessing and a privilege.”

From Los Angeles Times

“It was both a blessing and a curse, because I felt real pressure to get it right for everybody here,” they said.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• asset
• boon
• gift
• good fortune
• good luck
• kindness
• miracle