[bene.dic.tion] n [ME benediccioun, fr. LL benediction-, benedictio, fr. benedicere to bless, fr. L, to speak well of, fr. bene well (akin to L bonus good) + dicere to say--more at bounty, diction] (15c) 1: the invocation of a blessing; esp: the short blessing with which public worship is concluded
2: something that promotes goodness or well-being 3 often cap: a Roman Catholic or Anglo-Catholic devotion including the exposition of the eucharistic Host in the monstrance and the blessing of the people with it
4: an expression of good wishes