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
- A flower or blossom.
- The state or time of flowering: in full bloom.
- A time of freshness and vigour; a prime: the bloom of youth.
- A fresh, rosy complexion.
- A fine, whitish, powdery coating on fruits such as grapes and plums.
Verb
- To bear flowers.
- To grow or flourish with vigour.
- 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
- A mass of wrought iron ready for further working.
- A thick bar of steel prepared for rolling.
Word family
- bloomery
Related words
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
- ^ a b c d e Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ a b c Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
- ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
- ^ a b c Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
- ^ 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
- ^ 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)