bloom

Bloom, a flower, came from Old Norse; bloom, a mass of iron, is from Old English and of unknown origin.^[1][2][3][4]

Pronunciation

• IPA: /bluːm/^[5]

bloom¹ flower

Etymology

The flower is inherited from Middle English blome, borrowed from Old Norse blóm (“flower, blossom”), also blómi (“prosperity, flowers”),^{[1][3][2][6][4]} from Proto-Germanic *blōmōn,^[1][3] cognate with Old Saxon blōmo, Middle Dutch bloeme (modern Dutch bloem) and Old High German bluomo (modern German Blume).^[1][3][2] It goes back to Proto-Indo-European *bhlō-, the source also of Latin flōs (“flower”).^[1][3] Old English did not have it and used blossom instead;^[1][7] it is related to the verb blōwan (“to flower”) (see blow).^[3][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The blossom of a plant: about 1200, in The Ormulum, as a northern word.^[1][3][8]

Semantic evolution

Unlike flower, bloom was never extended to the whole plant, and it suggests a more delicate notion than blossom.^[3][8] Flowers collectively are bloom from before 1300,^[8] the prime of something from about 1325,^[8] and in bloom from 1644.^[8] The delicate powdery coat on fruits such as grapes and plums is from before 1639,^[8][2] and the crimson tint of the cheek from 1752.^[8] The verb is probably from about 1200, also in The Ormulum.^[1] Blooming as a mild oath is from the late 19th century, which gave bloomer, a blunder, thought to be Australian prison slang.^[7]

Timeline

• c. 1200 – a blossom; to bloom.^[1][8]
• c. 1325 – a prime, a flourishing state.^[8]
• before 1639 – the bloom on fruit.^[8]
• 1644 – in bloom.^[8]
• 1752 – a flush of the cheek.^[8]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A flower or blossom.
2. The state or time of flowering: in full bloom.
3. A time of freshness and vigour; a prime: the bloom of youth.
4. A fresh, rosy complexion.
5. A fine, whitish, powdery coating on fruits such as grapes and plums.

Verb

1. To bear flowers.
2. To grow or flourish with vigour.
3. To shine or glow.

Word family

• bloomer
• blooming

bloom² mass of iron

Etymology

The mass of iron is inherited from Middle English blome, inherited from Old English blōma (“lump of metal, mass”), of unknown origin.^[3][6][4] It looks the same as the flower word, and Merriam-Webster relates them,^[6] but Hoad and Etymonline find no evidence of a connection.^[3][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

A lump of metal: in Old English, before the 12th century.^[6][3]

Semantic evolution

In dialects of Scotland, Ireland, Westmorland, Lancashire, Staffordshire and Shropshire a bloom was a square mass of iron that had passed through a second process.^[9]

Timeline

• before 12th century – a lump of metal.^[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A mass of wrought iron ready for further working.
2. A thick bar of steel prepared for rolling.

Word family

• bloomery

Related words

• blossom
• blow
• flower
• flourish
• flora

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
2. ^ a b c d e Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
6. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
7. ^ a b c Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
9. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)