3  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Bless  \Bless\,  v.  t.  [imp.  &  p.  p.  {Blessed}or  {Blest};  p.  pr  & 
  vb  n.  {Blessing}.]  [OE.  blessien  bletsen  AS  bletsian 
  bledsian  bloedsian  fr  bl?d  blood;  prob.  originally  to 
  consecrate  by  sprinkling  with  blood.  See  {Blood}.] 
  1.  To  make  or  pronounce  holy;  to  consecrate 
 
  And  God  blessed  the  seventh  day  and  sanctified  it 
  --Gen.  ii  3. 
 
  2.  To  make  happy,  blithesome,  or  joyous;  to  confer  prosperity 
  or  happiness  upon  to  grant  divine  favor  to 
 
  The  quality  of  mercy  is  .  .  .  twice  blest;  It 
  blesseth  him  that  gives  and  him  that  takes  --Shak. 
 
  It  hath  pleased  thee  to  bless  the  house  of  thy 
  servant,  that  it  may  continue  forever  before  thee. 
  --1  Chron. 
  xvii.  27  (R. 
  V.  ) 
 
  3.  To  express  a  wish  or  prayer  for  the  happiness  of  to 
  invoke  a  blessing  upon  --  applied  to  persons. 
 
  Bless  them  which  persecute  you  --Rom.  xii. 
  14. 
 
  4.  To  invoke  or  confer  beneficial  attributes  or  qualities 
  upon  to  invoke  or  confer  a  blessing  on  --  as  on  food. 
 
  Then  he  took  the  five  loaves  and  the  two  fishes,  and 
  looking  up  to  heaven,  he  blessed  them  --Luke  ix 
  16. 
 
  5.  To  make  the  sign  of  the  cross  upon  to  cross  (one's  self). 
  [Archaic]  --Holinshed. 
 
  6.  To  guard;  to  keep  to  protect.  [Obs.] 
 
  7.  To  praise,  or  glorify;  to  extol  for  excellences. 
 
  Bless  the  Lord,  O  my  soul:  and  all  that  is  within 
  me  bless  his  holy  name  --Ps.  ciii.  1. 
 
  8.  To  esteem  or  account  happy;  to  felicitate. 
 
  The  nations  shall  bless  themselves  in  him  --Jer. 
  iv  3. 
 
  9.  To  wave;  to  brandish.  [Obs.] 
 
  And  burning  blades  about  their  heads  do  bless. 
  --Spenser. 
 
  Round  his  armed  head  his  trenchant  blade  he  blest. 
  --Fairfax. 
 
  Note:  This  is  an  old  sense  of  the  word  supposed  by  Johnson, 
  Nares,  and  others  to  have  been  derived  from  the  old 
  rite  of  blessing  a  field  by  directing  the  hands  to  all 
  parts  of  it  ``In  drawing  [their  bow]  some  fetch  such  a 
  compass  as  though  they  would  turn  about  and  bless  all 
  the  field.''  --Ascham. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  bless 
  v  1:  give  a  benediction  to  "The  dying  man  blessed  his  son"  [ant: 
  {curse}] 
  2:  confer  prosperity  or  happiness  on 
  3:  make  the  sign  of  the  cross  over  someone  in  order  to  call  on 
  God  for  protection;  consecrate  [syn:  {sign}] 
  4:  render  holy  by  means  of  religious  rites  [syn:  {consecrate}, 
  {hallow},  {sanctify}]  [ant:  {desecrate}] 
 
  From  Easton's  1897  Bible  Dictionary  [easton]: 
 
  Bless 
  (1.)  God  blesses  his  people  when  he  bestows  on  them  some  gift 
  temporal  or  spiritual  (Gen.  1:22;  24:35;  Job  42:12;  Ps  45:2; 
  104:24,  35). 
 
  (2.)  We  bless  God  when  we  thank  him  for  his  mercies  (Ps. 
  103:1,  2;  145:1,  2). 
 
  (3.)  A  man  blesses  himself  when  he  invokes  God's  blessing 
  (Isa.  65:16),  or  rejoices  in  God's  goodness  to  him  (Deut.  29:19; 
  Ps  49:18). 
 
  (4.)  One  blesses  another  when  he  expresses  good  wishes  or 
  offers  prayer  to  God  for  his  welfare  (Gen.  24:60;  31:55;  1  Sam. 
  2:20).  Sometimes  blessings  were  uttered  under  divine 
  inspiration,  as  in  the  case  of  Noah,  Isaac,  Jacob,  and  Moses 
  (Gen.  9:26,  27;  27:28,  29,  40;  48:15-20;  49:1-28;  Deut.  33).  The 
  priests  were  divinely  authorized  to  bless  the  people  (Deut. 
  10:8;  Num.  6:22-27).  We  have  many  examples  of  apostolic 
  benediction  (2  Cor.  13:14;  Eph.  6:23,  24;  2  Thess.  3:16,  18; 
  Heb.  13:20,  21;  1  Pet.  5:10,  11). 
 
  (5.)  Among  the  Jews  in  their  thank-offerings  the  master  of  the 
  feast  took  a  cup  of  wine  in  his  hand,  and  after  having  blessed 
  God  for  it  and  for  other  mercies  then  enjoyed,  handed  it  to  his 
  guests,  who  all  partook  of  it  Ps  116:13  refers  to  this  custom. 
  It  is  also  alluded  to  in  1  Cor.  10:16,  where  the  apostle  speaks 
  of  the  "cup  of  blessing." 
 

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