I. ˈblüm noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English blome lump of metal, from Old English blōma
1. : a mass of wrought iron from the Catalan forge or from the puddling furnace deprived of its dross and shaped in the form of an oblong block by shingling
2. : a semifinished mass of steel usually nearly square in section and not smaller than 6 by 6 inches formed directly from an ingot by hot rolling — compare billet , slab
3. : a mass of iron or steel formed by consolidating scrap at a high temperature by hammering or rolling
II. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English blome, from Old Norse blōm, blōmi; akin to Old High German bluomo flower, blossom, Gothic blōma lily, Old English blōma mass, lump of metal, blōwan to bloom — more at blow
1.
a. : the flower of a seed plant : an individual flower : blossom 1a ; collectively : flowers or amount of flowers especially of a plant or a season
look at the bloom on that bush
the apples had a very light bloom this spring
b. : the flowering state
the roses are all in bloom
c. : a period or instance of flowering
there are usually two blooms, a heavy one in May and another in late September
the spring bloom in the park
2.
a. : one (as a girl) that is estimable, outstanding, or lovely
it is hard to accept the frailty of so fair a bloom
b. : a state or time of beauty, freshness, and vigor
the bloom of youth
also : highest development : perfection , peak , culmination
if automation comes into fuller bloom — J.I.Snyder
a world that has become sufficiently relaxed to allow its tendencies toward a diversification of manners to reach their bloom — Irving Howe & Eliezer Greenberg
c. : a period of development or improvement (as in quality or standing)
the clavichord had … a second bloom almost unique in history — Curt Sachs
3. : a surface coating or appearance: as
a. : the delicate powdery coating on certain fresh fruits (as grapes or plums) and leaves (as of cabbage or carnation) ; also : the waxy material that forms such a coating
b. : a rosy appearance of the cheeks : flush
recovered all her health and bloom
broadly : an outward evidence of freshness or healthy vigor : glow
a new, fresh world, with all the bloom upon it — W.M.Thackeray
c. : a deposit or coating of ellagic acids that appears on leather
d. : the grainy or powdery surface of a newly minted coin
e. : the fluorescence of petroleum or its products or of rosin oil
f. : the cloudy appearance often observed on a film of varnish or lacquer
g. : a milky appearance on the surface of glass produced by slight decomposition
h. : luster or brightness of textile fibers or materials especially when dyed
wool with a fine bloom
the soft bloom of silk velvets
i. : water bloom
j. : the surface appearance characteristic of freshness and quality in dressed meat and poultry
k. : the protective cuticle of an eggshell
l. : a healthy well-kept appearance of the coat and skin of a domestic animal ; also : fatness , finish
m. : a grayish discoloration on chocolates resulting from the deposit of microscopic crystals of fat or sugar on the surface of the coating
n. : glare caused by an object reflecting too much light into a television camera
o. : an appearance of brightness on dyed material
a red bloom on indigo navy
4. : a mineral that is frequently found as an efflorescence
cobalt bloom
antimony bloom
5. : the characteristic aroma of a wine : bouquet 4a
III. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English blomen, from blome, n.
intransitive verb
1. : to produce or yield blossoms : flower or be in flower : blossom
bulbs that bloom in the spring
that bush will bloom soon
2.
a. : to attain, undergo, or acquire bloom ; especially : to flourish especially in youthful beauty, freshness, or excellence
the arts bloomed in this heady environment
we could not believe that scrawny child had bloomed into such a lovely lass
b. : to become affected or marred with bloom
a beautiful finish but it blooms so easily
c. : to exhibit bloom : shine out : glow
the stove bloomed warm and bright in the dark room
d. : to cause bloom
this polish does not bloom or become sticky
3. : to come out like a bloom on a plant ; especially : to appear or occur unexpectedly or in surprising quantity or degree
subscription selling bloomed splendidly — Bernard Kalb
the senator bloomed as an enthusiastic liberal
4. : to become densely populated with microorganisms and especially with plankton — used of bodies of water
transitive verb
1. obsolete : to cause to bloom ; especially : to make flourishing
2. : to give bloom or a bloom to: as
a. : to make glowing or radiant : brighten
while barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day — John Keats
b. : to cloud or mar with a bloom
dampness can bloom the best of varnishes
c. Britain : to coat (a photographic lens) with a thin layer of low-refracting material to reduce surface reflection
IV. noun
: an abundant or excessive growth of plankton