Emily Dickinson Lexicon

BLEN'NY, n. [Sax. blinnan, to cease.]

A genus of fishes of the order of Jugulars, in ichthyology called Blennius. There are several species; the size from five inches to a foot in length. – Encyc. Dict of Nat. Hist.

BLENT, pp.

the obsolete participle of Blend. – Spenser.

BLESS, v.t. [pret. and pp. blessed or blest. Sax. bledsian, bletsian, bletsigan, and blessian; whence, bletsung, bledsung, a blessing or benediction. W. llâd, a gift, a favor, a blessing.]

1. To pronounce a wish of happiness to one; to express a wish or desire of happiness. And Isaac called Jacob and blessed him. – Gen. xxviii.
2. To make happy; to make successful; to prosper in temporal concerns; as, we are blest with peace and plenty. The Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thou doest. – Deut. xv.
3. To make happy in a future life. Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord. – Rev. xiv.
4. To set apart or consecrate to holy purposes; to make and pronounce holy. And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it. – Gen. ii.
5. To consecrate by prayer; invoke a blessing upon. And Jesus took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven he blessed them. – Luke ix.
6. To praise; to glorify, for benefits received. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me. – Ps. ciii.
7. To praise; to magnify; to extol, for excellencies. – Ps. civ.
8. To esteem or account happy; with the reciprocal pronoun. The nations shall bless themselves in him. – Jer. iv.
9. To pronounce a solemn prophetical benediction upon. – Gen. xxvii. Deut. xxxiii.
10. In this line of Spenser it may signify to throw, for this is nearly the primary sense. His sparkling blade about his head he blest. Johnson supposes the word to signify, to wave or brandish, and to have received this sense from the old rite of blessing a field, by directing the hands to all parts of it. Bless in Spenser for bliss, may be so written, not for rhyme merely, but because bless and bliss are from the same root.

BLESS'ED, a.

Happy; prosperous in worldly affairs; enjoying spiritual happiness and the favor of God; enjoying heavenly felicity.

BLESS'ED, pp.

Made happy or prosperous; extolled; pronounced happy.

BLESS'ED-LY, adv.

Happily; in a fortunate manner.

BLESS'ED-NESS, n.

1. Happiness; felicity; heavenly joys; the favor of God.
2. Sanctity. – Shak. BLESS'ER n. One that blesses or prospers; one who bestows a blessing.

BLESS'ED-THIS-TLE, n.

A plant of the genus Centaurea, sometimes used in decoctions, for a bitter.

BLESS'ING, n.

1. Benediction; a wish of happiness pronounced; a prayer imploring happiness upon another.
2. A solemn prophetic benediction, in which happiness is desired, invoked, or foretold. This is the blessing wherewith Moses … blessed the children of Israel. – Deut. xxxiii.
3. Any means of happiness; a gift, benefit, or advantage; that which promotes temporal prosperity and welfare, or secures immortal felicity. A just and pious magistrate is a public blessing. The divine favor is the greatest blessing.
4. Among the Jews, a present; a gift; either because it was attended with kind wishes for the welfare of the giver, or because it was the means of increasing happiness. Take, I pray thee, my blessing that is brought to thee. – Gen. xxxiii.

BLESS'ING, ppr.

Making happy; wishing happiness to; praising or extolling; consecrating by prayer.

BLEST, a.

1. Made happy.
2. Making happy; cheering. While these blest sounds my ravish'd ear assail. – Trumbull.

BLEST, pp.

of Bless.

BLE'TON-ISM, n.

The faculty of perceiving and indicating subterraneous springs and currents by sensation; so called from one Bleton of France who possessed this faculty. – Encyc.

BLE'TON-IST, n.

One who possesses the faculty of perceiving subterraneous springs by sensation. – Encyc.

BLEW, pret.

of Blow.

BLEYME, n.

An inflammation in the foot of a horse, between the sole and the bone. – Farmer's Dict.

BLI-CE'A, n.

A small fish caught in the German seas, somewhat resembling the English sprat. – Dict. Nat. Hist.

BLIGHT, n. [Qu. Sax. blæctha, scurf, leprosy.]

1. A disease incident to plants, affecting them variously. Sometimes the whole plant perishes; sometimes only the leaves and blossoms, which will shrivel, as if scorched.
2. Any thing nipping or blasting. In America, I have often heard a cutaneous eruption on the human skin called by the name of blights.

BLIGHT, v.t.

To affect with blight; to blast; to prevent growth, and fertility; to frustrate.

BLIGHT'ED, pp.

Blasted.

BLIGHT'ING, n.

Act of blighting.

BLIGHT'ING, ppr.

Blasting.

BLIGHT'ING-LY, adv.

By blasting.

BLIN, v.t. [Sax. blinnan.]

To stop or cease. [Obs.] – Spenser.

BLIND, a. [Sax. blind; Ger. D. Sw. and Dan. blind; Sax. blendan, to blend and to blind. This is the same word as blend, and was so written by Spenser. See Blend. Obscurity is from mixture.]

1. Destitute of the sense of seeing, either by natural defect, or by deprivation; not having sight.
2. Not having the faculty of discernment; destitute of intellectual light; unable to understand or judge; ignorant; as authors are blind to their own defects. Blind should be followed by to; but it is followed by of, in the phrase, blind of an eye.
3. Unseen; out of public view; private; dark; sometimes implying contempt or censure; as, a blind corner. – Hooker.
4. Dark; obscure; not easy to be found; not easily discernible; as, a blind path.
5. Heedless; inconsiderate; undeliberating. This plan is recommended neither to blind approbation nor to blind reprobation. – Federalist, Jay.
6. In Scripture, blind implies not only want of discernment, but moral depravity.