bloom English · revision 15126

+ Bloom, a flower, came from Old Norse; bloom, a mass of iron, is from Old English and of unknown origin.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986)^(Etymonline)^(NODE 1998)

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /bluːm/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ {{homograph|1|flower}}

+

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=c. 1200|origins=ine-pro *bhlō-}}

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ The flower is [[inh|enm|blome]], [[bor|non|blóm|t=flower, blossom]], also [[m|non|blómi|t=prosperity, flowers]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986)^(MWU 2024)^(NODE 1998) from [[gem-pro|*blōmōn]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) cognate with [[osx|blōmo]], [[dum|bloeme]] (modern [[nl|bloem]]) and [[goh|bluomo]] (modern [[de|Blume]]).^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) It goes back to [[ine-pro|*bhlō-]], the source also of [[la|flōs|t=flower]].^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) Old English did not have it and used [[blossom]] instead;^(Barnhart 1988)^(Cresswell 2021) it is related to the verb [[m|ang|blōwan|t=to flower]] (see [[blow]]).^(Etymonline)^(Cresswell 2021)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The blossom of a plant: about 1200, in The Ormulum, as a northern word.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Unlike [[flower]], bloom was never extended to the whole plant, and it suggests a more delicate notion than blossom.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) Flowers collectively are bloom from before 1300,^(OED 1989) the prime of something from about 1325,^(OED 1989) and ''in bloom'' from 1644.^(OED 1989) The delicate powdery coat on fruits such as grapes and plums is from before 1639,^(OED 1989)^(Hoad 1986) and the crimson tint of the cheek from 1752.^(OED 1989) The verb is probably from about 1200, also in The Ormulum.^(Barnhart 1988) Blooming as a mild oath is from the late 19th century, which gave bloomer, a blunder, thought to be Australian prison slang.^(Cresswell 2021)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1200 – a blossom; to bloom.^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989)

+ * c. 1325 – a prime, a flourishing state.^(OED 1989)

+ * before 1639 – the bloom on fruit.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1644 – in bloom.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1752 – a flush of the cheek.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A flower or blossom.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # The state or time of flowering: ''in full bloom''.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A time of freshness and vigour; a [[prime]]: ''the bloom of youth''.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A fresh, rosy complexion.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A fine, whitish, powdery coating on fruits such as grapes and plums.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ===Verb===

+ # To bear flowers.^(AHD)

+ # To grow or flourish with vigour.^(AHD)

+ # To shine or glow.^(AHD)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[bloomer]]

+ * [[blooming]]

+

+ {{homograph|2|mass of iron}}

+

+ {{infobox|confidence=unknown|formation=inherited|attested=before 12th century}}

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ The mass of iron is [[inh|enm|blome]], [[inh|ang|blōma|t=lump of metal, mass]], of unknown origin.^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024)^(NODE 1998) It looks the same as the flower word, and Merriam-Webster relates them,^(MWU 2024) but Hoad and Etymonline find no evidence of a connection.^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A lump of metal: in Old English, before the 12th century.^(MWU 2024)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==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.^(Wright 1898)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * before 12th century – a lump of metal.^(MWU 2024)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A mass of [[wrought iron]] ready for further working.^(AHD)^(Hoad 1986)

+ # A thick bar of steel prepared for rolling.^(AHD)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[bloomery]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[blossom]]

+ * [[blow]]

+ * [[flower]]

+ * [[flourish]]

+ * [[flora]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}