| 释义 |
▪ I. bless, v.1|blɛs|
Forms: 1 blóedsian, blédsian, blétsian, 2 bletsien, bletcæn, blecen, bleccen, 2–3 bledsen, bletsen, (Orm.) blettcenn, blettsenn, 2–4 blescen, 2–5 blessen, 3 bletseiȝen, blesci, blicen, 3–4 blixen, blissen, 4 blisce, blis, blist, 3–7 blesse, bliss(e, 5 blysch(e, blyssh(e, 5–6 blysse, 7– bless. pa. tense and pple. blessed, blest (arch. and poet.); in 1 blédsod, blétsod, 2–3 bledsed, 2–5 bletsed, blecced, blesced, blisced, 2– blessed, 5– blest.
[OE. blóedsian, blédsian, blétsian: not found elsewhere in Teutonic, but formed on the OTeut. type *blôdisôjan, f. *blôdo-m (OE. blód) blood: cf. OE. mildsian, miltsian, ME. milce, to be mild, show pity; also, for the formation, OE. rícsian to rule = OHG. rîchisôn:—OTeut. *rîkisôjan, f. *rîk-s, Goth. reiks ruler, king. (An equally satisfactory derivation of blétsian, if it were the original form, would be from blót sacrifice, on OTeut. type *blôtisôjan; but besides that blóedsian actually occurs earlier, the change of ds to ts is phonetically natural, while the reverse is not.) The etymological meaning was thus ‘to mark (or affect in some way) with blood (or sacrifice); to consecrate’. But the sense-development of the word was greatly influenced by its having been chosen at the Eng. conversion to render L. benedīcere, and Gr. εὐλογεῖν, which started from a primitive sense of ‘speak well of or to, eulogize, praise,’ but were themselves influenced by being chosen to translate Heb. brk, primarily ‘to bend,’ hence ‘to bend the knee, worship, praise, bless God, invoke blessings on, bless as a deity.’ Hence, a long and varied series of associations, heathen, Jewish, and Christian, blend in the Eng. uses of bless and blessing. Senses 4–6 arise mainly from benedīcere, εὐλογεῖν. At a very early date the popular etymological consciousness began to associate this verb with the n. bliss ‘benignity, blitheness, joy, happiness,’ which affected the use of both words (see esp. senses 7, 8), and led to occasional ME. spelling of the vb. with i, y.
The pa. tense and pple. are now generally spelt blessed, though always pronounced |blɛst| in modern prose; the pple. may be pronounced |ˈblɛsɪd| in verse, or liturgical reading. As an adj. blessed |ˈblɛsɪd| is now the regular prose form, but the archaic blest is frequent in verse, and traditional phrases as e.g. ‘the Isles of the Blest.’]
Orig. meaning (prob.), To make ‘sacred’ or ‘holy’ with blood; to consecrate by some sacrificial rite which was held to render a thing inviolable from profane use of men and evil influence of men or demons. (The streaking of the lintel and doorposts with blood, Exod. xii. 23, to mark them as holy to the Lord and inviolable by the destroying angel, was apparently the kind of idea expressed by blóedsian in pre-christian times. Cf. also the history of the Latin words consecrāre and sacrificium.) Hence, in historical use:
I. To make sacred, consecrate, hallow.
1. trans. To consecrate (a thing) by a religious rite, the utterance of a formula or charm; in later times by a prayer committing it to God for his patronage, defence, and prospering care, as in to bless food, to ask God's blessing on it (cf. 5).
c1000Ags. Gosp. Matt. xxvi. 26 Se Hælend nam hlaf and hyne bletsode and brǽc. c1200Ormin 17193 Þatt waterr þatt iss att te funnt Blettcedd wiþþ Godes wordess. 1377Langl. P. Pl. B. xi. 229 Tyl he blessed and brak þe bred þat þei eten. c1400Apol. Loll. 30 If þe prest sacre Crist wan he blessiþ þe sacrament of God in þe auter. a1593H. Smith Serm. (1637) 376 Before thou hast blessed it with prayer, thou hast no promise it shall prosper. 1596Shakes. Merch. V. iii. ii. 79. 1637 Gillespie Eng. Pop. Cerem. iv. iv. 20 It was behoofefull for their cause, distinctly and severally to blisse those Elements. 1649Milton Eikon. Wks. 1738 I. 427 Where the Master is too resty, or too rich to..bless his own Table. 1798Southey Bp. Bruno Wks. VI. 149 And now the bishop had blest the meat.
†b. To consecrate (a person) to a sacred office.
1154O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.) Þa was he [Henry II] to king bletcæd in Lundene. c1420Chron. Vilod. 563 And was blessud Abbas in þt same place. Ibid. 1168 Þen was Alfyne y blessud Abbas of þt plase.
2. spec. To sanctify or hallow by making the sign of the cross; usually as a defence against evil agencies. esp. refl. and absol. To cross oneself. arch.
c950Lindisf. Gosp. John viii. 48 Ahne bloedsade ue usic vel sæᵹnade [mistransl. of nonne bene dicimus nos?] a1225Ancr. R. 290 Breid up þene rode stef, & sweng him aȝean a uour halue—þene helle dogge. Þet nis nout elles bute blesce þe al abuten mid te eadie rode tocne. c1500Yng. Children's Bk. in Babees Bk. (1868) 17 Aryse be tyme oute of thi bedde, And blysse þi brest & thi forhede. 1562J. Heywood Prov. & Epigr. (1867) 91, I nother nod for sleepe..nor blisse for spirites. 1577Holinshed Chron. I. 157/2 Blesse your eies with the signe of the crosse, and trie whether you can see that I see. 1653Urquhart Rabelais i. xxxv, When they heard these words, some..blest themselves with both hands, thinking..that he had been a devil disguised. 1719Lady M. W. Montague Lett. II. xlvii. 47, I fancy I see you bless yourself at this terrible relation.
b. to bless oneself from: see 3 b.
†c. to bless into, bless out: to change into, cast out, by making the sign of the cross. Obs.
1534More Passion Wks. (1557) 1273/1 When the dyuell fyrste casteth any proude vayne thoughte into our mynd..let vs forthwith make a crosse on our breast, and blesse it oute. 1589Nashe Pasquils Ret. Wks. 1885 I. 93 One Pope or other..blest me into a stone to stoppe my mouth.
d. not to have a penny to bless oneself with: in allusion to the cross on the silver penny (cf. Ger. Kreuzer), or to the practice of crossing the palm with a piece of silver.
1557North Gueuara's Diall Pr. (1619) 625/2 The pestilence of penny..he hath in his purse to blesse himself with. 1562J. Heywood Prov. & Epigr. (1867) 73 He had not..one peny to blisse him. 1861Geo. Eliot Silas M., I have not a shilling to bless myself with.
†e. humorously (with allusion to holy water.)
1609Man in the Moone 11 Bless his beard with a bazen of water, least he burne it.
†3. To protect or guard, save, keep from (evil): said of God, supernatural influence, a charm or prayer; also loosely of other things. Obs.
c1175Lamb. Hom. 59 From alle . uuele he scal blecen us. 1543Becon New Y. Gift Wks. (1843) 315 With such I love not to meddle. God bless me from them! 1594Nashe Unfort. Trav. 43 Kisse the ground as holy ground which she vouchsafed to blesse from barrennes by her steppes. 1594Shakes. Rich. III, iii. iii. 5 God blesse the Prince from all the Pack of you. 1596Spenser F.Q. i. ii. 18 Glauncing down his shield from blame him fairly blest. 1632Milton Penseroso 83 Or the bellmans drowsy charm To bless the doors from nightly harm. 1646Fuller Wounded Consc. (1841) 349 God bless you and yours from fire. 1650Bp. Hall Cases Consc. 181 Doubtlesse, the Devill is a most skilfull Artist..but God blesse us from imploying him. 1855Kingsley Westw. Ho! ii. (Traditional Spell) ‘Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, Bless the bed that I lie on.’
†b. refl. To guard oneself (with God's help) from, keep out of the way of, give a wide berth to, shun, eschew. (Sometimes, probably, by crossing oneself, as in sense 2.) Obs.
c1449Pecock Repr. iii. xix. 411 If thilk doctor..hadde blessid him silf fro this.. perel. 1530Palsgr. 458/1, I wyll never medle with hym, if I may blesse me from hym. 1549Chaloner Erasm. Moriæ Enc. E iv b, Whiche of you woulde not lothe and blisse you from the company of suche maner a man. 1618Raleigh Rem. (1644) 97 From Suretieship, as from a Man-slayer, or Enchanter, blesse thy self. 1622Fletcher Span. Curate i. i. 27 Blesse yourselves from the thought of him and her. 1651More Enthus. Triumph. (1656) 172 Bless thee from madness, Tom, and all will be well. 1753Smollett Ct. Fathom (1784) 137/2 He blessed himself from such customers.
II. To hold or call holy; to extol as holy (see Isa. vi. 3, Rev. iv. 8), divine, gracious.
4. To call holy; to extol, praise, or adore (God) as holy, worthy of reverence.
a1000Cædmon's Daniel 400 (Gr.) We ðec bletsiað, Fæder ælmihtiᵹ. c1000Ags. Psalter xcv[i]. 2 Singað nu drihtne and his soðne naman bealde bletsiað. c1175Lamb. Hom. 57 Þi nome beo iblecced. c1305Deo Gratias in E.E.P. (1862) 125 To þonke and blesse hym we be bounde. 1382Wyclif Jas iii. 9 In it we blessen God the fadir, and in it we cursen men. 1593Hooker Eccl. Pol. i. iii. §4 The Creator..alone to be blessed, adored and honoured of all for ever. 1651Hobbes Leviath. ii. xxxi. 189 The subject of Magnifying and Blessing, being Power. 1825J. Montgomery Hymn ‘Stand up and bless’ 6 Stand up and bless the Lord, The Lord your God adore.
5. esp. with an added notion of thanksgiving or acknowledgement of gracious beneficence or goodness: To praise or extol with grateful heart; ‘to glorify for benefits received’ (J.)
a. orig. God or his attributes.
c1000Ags. Gosp. Luke i. 68 Gebletsod [Lindisf. ᵹebloedsad] sí drihten israhela god, forþam þe he ᵹeneosode. 1382Wyclif ibid. Blessid be the Lord God of Israel for..[Cranmer, Praysed be]. c1440York Myst. xii. 217 Blest be þou ay, For þe grace þou has me lente. 1526Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 251 To laude and blesse god for his goodnes. 1596Shakes. Tam. Shr. iv. v. 18 Then God be blesst, it is the blessed Sunne. 1795Southey Joan of Arc ii. 309, I..blest my God I was not such as he. 1843Neale Hymns for Sick 44 But Thy Love—Oh give me grace to bless It every hour!
b. other influences, e.g. one's stars, one's fortune or luck, the day of one's birth, etc. Now generally in a more or less ludicrous sense: To thank, attribute one's good fortune to.
c1440Ywaine & Gaw. 3344 Folk..blissed the time that he was born. a1845Hood Pauper's Christmas Carol iii, Ought not I to bless my stars? 1846Punch IX. 13 Let me bless my prudence.
c. persons: see 6 b, which sometimes passes into ‘praise or extol with grateful regard.’
III. To declare to be supernaturally favoured; to pronounce or make happy.
6. To pronounce words that confer (or are held to confer) supernatural favour and well-being.
a. Said of a superior, i.e. of one entitled to speak in God's name, a priest or sacred person (e.g. Balaam, Moses), an aged or dying parent (e.g. Isaac, Jacob); also of God himself. When said of men, the sense has passed into that of officially or paternally commending to divine protection and favour.
c1000ælfric Gen. xxvii. 4 Bring me þæt ic ete, and ic þe bletsiᵹe ær þam þe ic swelte. c1000Ags. Gosp. Mark x. 16 Ða beclypte he hí, and his handa ofer hi settende bletsode [Lindisf. ᵹebledsade, Rushw. ᵹibletsade, Hatton bletsede] hi. c1205Lay. 32157 Me and mine wiue? he scal bletseiȝen & scriue. a1300Cursor M. 637 God ham blesset and bad ham brede, and multiply. c1383Wyclif Sel. Wks. III. 323 Þei cursen hem þat God blisseþ. 1388― Numb. xxiii. 11 What is this that thou doist? Y clepide thee that thou schuldist curse myn enemyes, and aȝenward thou blessist hem [1382 blessest to hem]. c1410Love Bonavent. Mirr. xv. 38 (Gibbs MS.), After he hadde i blessed hem wente vppe aȝayne to heuene. 1549Bk. Com. Prayer, Confirm., Then shal the Busshop blisse the children, thus saying. 1810Scott Lady of L. iii. vii, Stood prompt to bless or ban.
b. Of one not a superior: Piously to invoke God's blessing upon, to commend gratefully and affectionately to God's favour, to load with one's devout good wishes; to speak well of and wish well to.
1330R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 97, I blisse Anselme þerfore. c1330Amis & Amil. 344 Men blisted him, bothe bon and blod, That euer him gat and bare. 1613Shakes. Hen. VIII, iii. i. 54 To taint that honor euery good Tongue blesses. 1667Milton P.L. x. 821 So disinherited how would ye bless Me now your Curse! 1712Steele Spect. No. 264 ⁋1 The Fatherless..and the Stranger bless his unseen Hand in their Prayers. 1742W. Collins Ode vi, By all their country's wishes blest. 1850Tennyson In Mem. cxix, I..think of early days and thee, And bless thee.
7. To confer well-being upon; ‘to make happy; to prosper, make successful’ (J.): orig. said of God; in later use also of men and things, but generally with an implication of their conferring instrumentally a divine blessing. (Here the association of bless with bliss becomes apparent.)
a1000Cædmon's Gen. 2357 (Gr.) Ic Ismael estum wille bletsian. a1300Hymn to God 16 in Trin. Coll. Hom. App. 258 Louerd þu vs blesce. 1388Wyclif Gen. xxxix. 5 And the Lord blesside the hows [1382 to the hows] of Egipcian for Joseph. 1549Bk. Com. Prayer, Matrim., Look, O Lord, mercifully upon them from heaven, and bless them. 1578Gude & Godlie Ballates (1868) 65 Blis, blissit God, thir giftes gude Quhilk thow hes geuin to be our fude. 1596Shakes. Merch. V. iv. i. 186 It [mercy] is twice blest, It blesseth him that giues, and him that takes. 1597― 2 Hen. IV, i. ii. 248 Heauen blesse your Expedition. 1697Dryden Virg. Georg. iv. 729 But she return'd no more, to bless his longing Eyes. 1718Pope Iliad i. 144 When first her blooming beauties bless'd my arms. 1813Byron Giaour 1115, I have possess'd, And come what may, I have been blest. 1848Thackeray Van. Fair xxxi, ‘God bless the meat,’ said the Major's wife, solemnly. 1850Lynch Theo. Trin. v. 88 To say that good gives pleasure seems poor expression of the truth that it blesses us.
b. To make happy with some gift: orig. of God as the giver; also of persons or things. (In the first example, blitsian may be really = bliðsian, bliss.)
[a831Charter of Oswulf (Sweet O.E.T. 444) Ðaette ᵹe sien ᵹeblitsude mid ðem weorldcundum godum.] 1598B. Jonson Ev. Man out of Hum. ii. iii, Shee was blest with no more copie of wit. 1602Return fr. Parnass. ii. v. (Arb.) 30, I will blesse your eares with a very pretty story. 1610Shakes. Temp. ii. i. 124 You may thank your selfe..That would not blesse our Europe with your daughter. 1650Baxter Saint's R. iii. (1654) 4 Return him hearty thanks upon my knees, that ever he blessed his Word in my mouth with such..success. 1712Arbuthnot John Bull (1755) 30 Mrs. Bull..blessed John with three daughters. 1767Fordyce Serm. Yng. Wom. I. i. 14 Are you..blest with parents? 1839Bailey Festus i, To bless him with salvation.
8. refl. To account or call oneself supremely happy; to congratulate or felicitate oneself, with, in, that.
1611Bible Jer. iv. 2 The nations shall blesse themselues in him, and in him shall they glorie. 1674N. Fairfax Bulk & Selv. To Rdr., I..blisst my self that I was there. 1684Bunyan Pilgr. ii. (1879) 246 Old men have blessed themselves with this mistake. 1839Bailey Festus iv, To..bask, and bless myself, Upon the broad bright bosom.
¶ In ME., and above all by Wyclif, bless was construed with to, app. in imitation of benedicere alicui of the Vulgate.
a1300Cursor M. 17890 To oure lord iesu crist ȝe blisse. c1380Wyclif Serm. Sel. Wks. II. 249 Cristene men shulden blesse to oþer þat pursuen hem here. 1382― Gen. i. 21 And God..blisside to hem, seiynge, Growith, etc. Ibid. xii. 3, I shal blis to thoo that blissen thee.
IV. Exclamatory, elliptical and ironical uses.
9. In exclamatory invocations and ejaculations of surprise;
a. in sense 3, as God bless me! elliptically bless me! bless (also save) the mark! (see mark).
b. in sense 7, as (God) bless you!
a.1590Shakes. Mids. N. iv. ii. 14 A Paramour is (God blesse vs) a thing of nought. 1646Milton Sonn. xi. 5 Cries the stall-reader, ‘Bless us! what a word on A title-page is this!’ 1709Steele Tatler No. 25 ⁋10 Bless me! Sir, there's no Room for a Question. 1752C. Lennox Fem. Quix. I. iii. v. 161 ‘Lord bless me, madam!’ said Lucy, excessively astonished. 1844Dickens Mart. Chuz. v. 50 ‘Bless my life!’ said Mr. Pecksniff, looking up. 1849― Dav. Copp. xii. 138 ‘Bless and save the man’..‘how he talks!’ 1851Ruskin King Gold. Riv. i. (1856) 12 ‘Bless my soul!’ said Schwartz when he opened the door.
b.1588Shakes. L.L.L. ii. i. 77 God blesse my Ladies, are they all in loue? 1732Fielding Miser v. i. (1775) 67 Bless her heart! good lady! 1840Marryat Poor Jack xxix, Bless you, my child, bless you! 1872Ruskin Fors Clav. II. xx. 8 The Colonel might have said ‘Bless you, my children,’ in the tenderest tones.
10. Hence, to bless oneself: to ejaculate ‘God bless me!’ or other exclamation of surprise, vexation, or mortification.
1615T. Adams Black Dev. 71 He..would blesse himselfe to think that so little a thing could extend itself to such a capacity. 1665Pepys Diary 1 Apr., How my Lord Treasurer did bless himself, crying he could do no more, etc.
¶11. In many senses (esp. 5 b, 7, 8, 9, 10) bless is used euphemistically or ironically for a word of opposite meaning, ‘curse, damn,’ etc.
1812Jane Austen Mansf. Park xviii, Could Sir Thomas look in upon us just now, he would bless himself. 1838Dickens O. Twist xiii, An emphatic and earnest desire to be ‘blessed’ if she would. 1878H. Smart Play or Pay viii. (ed. 3) 156 Fuming, blessing himself, dashing himself.
V. Comb., as † bless-beggar, a thing to bless a beggar with. (ironical.)
1589R. Harvey Pl. Perc. (1860) 33 My quarter staffe, is it not a blesse-begger thinke you?
▸ trans. Brit. colloq. a. (God) bless my cotton socks and variants: used as an exclamation of surprise, consternation, pleasure, etc.
1935G. Kersh Men are so Ardent xi. 145 God bless my cotton socks, Pasta'll cut her liver out for that. 1980M. Frayn Make & Break in Plays: One (1985) i. 262 Well, bless my old cotton socks. They've asked me some damn funny questions since I've been here, but no-one's asked me that. 2007Leicester Mercury (Nexis) 26 July 4 ‘Superb voice, brilliant music, a must for all,’ and, bless my cotton socks, it's free!
b. bless another's cotton socks and variants: used (usu. parenthetically) to express affection, benevolence, or gratitude (sometimes with patronizing connotations).
1943Punch 29 Sept. 274/2 Bless her little cotton socks! 1972Times 6 Mar. 16/1 As always the ladies, bless their cotton socks, have won through. 1993A. McNab Bravo Two Zero (1994) iv. 76 The Americans had kit coming out of their ears, and bless their cotton socks, they'd happily swap you a cot for a couple of boxes of rations. 2003Independent 8 July 14/4 [He] did not let his emotions bubble over until he won, when he wept, bless his Nike cotton socks, like a baby.
▸ int. Brit. colloq. Expressing affection or benevolence (sometimes with patronizing connotations): ‘bless you’ (or ‘her’, ‘him’, etc.)’. Cf. sense 9b.
1995Oral Service offered to Horny Men in uk.gay-lesbian-bi (Usenet newsgroup) 7 Nov. Ah bless, I didn't mean to upset you Martin. 1996Campaign (Nexis) 15 Nov. Bless. Those ambient media folk, aren't they cute? All chippy and defensive about their petrol-pump nozzles and golf holes. 2001C. Glazebrook Madolescents 41 There's yer man stretched out in front of the Cosiglow, washing his tail. Bless. 2003N. Dhami Bindi Babes viii. 130 Oh, bless... He's been waiting here all this time.
▪ II. † bless, v.2 Obs.
Also 4–6 blyss(e, bliss.
[a. F. blesse-r:—OF. blecier to injure, wound: cf. bleche. Often associated with bless v.1, either humorously or in ignorance. (The sense of the second quotation is doubtful: cf. bless v.3)]
To wound, hurt; to beat, thrash, drub.
[c1325Coer de L. 546 Whenne I hym had a strok i-fet, And wolde have blyssyd hym bet. c1350Will. Palerne 1192 [He] blessed so wiþ his briȝt bront · aboute in eche side þat, what rink so he rauȝt · he ros neuer after. ]1526Skelton Magnyf. 1641, I have hym coryed, beten and blyst. 1545R. Ascham Toxoph. (Arb.) 145 As thoughe they woulde tourne about and blysse all the feelde. 1575J. Still Gamm. Gurton iii. iii, Tarry, thou knave..I shall make these hands bless thee. 1577Hellowes Gueuara's Fam. Ep. 237 When he did leuell to shoote, he blessed himselfe with his peece, and killed them with the pellat. 1612Shelton Quix. I. iii. 173 That of the Battle..when they bless'd your Worship's Cheek Teeth.
▪ III. † bless, v.3 Obs.
Also 6 blesse, bliss.
[Much affected by Spenser: perhaps taken from such a use as that quoted from William of Palerne under bless v.2; perhaps, as others think, ‘to flourish as in making the sign of the cross’: cf. bless v.1 2 (quot. 1225), also 3 (quot. 1596). In any case it can hardly be an independent word.]
trans. and absol. To wave about, brandish; also trans. to brandish round (an object with a weapon).
1596Spenser F.Q. i. v. 6 They..burning blades about their heades doe blesse. Ibid. i. viii. 22 His sparkling blade about his head he blest. Ibid. vi. viii. 13 And with his club him all about so blist, That he which way to turne him scarcely wist. 1600Fairfax Tasso ix. lxvii, His armed head with his sharpe blade he blest.
▪ IV. † bless, n. Obs.
[f. bless v.1; but perhaps confused with bliss n.]
A blessing.
1526Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 45 The viii beatitudes, otherwyse called the viii blesses. 1725Pope Odyss. xv. 202 This promised bless.
▪ V. bless
obs. form of bliss. |