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bloom1

Pronunciation: /bluːm/
Translate bloom | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of bloom

noun

  • 1a flower, especially one cultivated for its beauty:an exotic bloom
  • [mass noun] the state or period of flowering:the apple trees were in bloom
  • [mass noun] the state or period of greatest beauty, freshness, or vigour:a young girl, still in the bloom of youth
  • [in singular] a youthful or healthy glow in a person’s complexion:her face had lost its usual bloom
  • [mass noun] a full, bright sound in a recording:the remastering has lost some of the bloom of the strings
  • 2a delicate powdery surface deposit on certain fresh fruits, leaves, or stems: the bloom on a plum
  • [mass noun] a greyish-white appearance on chocolate caused by cocoa butter rising to the surface.
  • short for algal bloom.

verb

  • 1 [no object] produce flowers; be in flower:a chalk pit where cowslips bloomed
  • come into or be in full beauty or health; flourish:the children had bloomed in the soft Devonshire air
  • (of fire, colour, or light) become radiant and glowing:colour bloomed in her cheeks
  • 2 [with object] technical coat (a lens) with a special surface layer so as to reduce reflection from its surface.

Phrases

the bloom is off the rose

North American the thing in question is no longer new, fresh, or exciting: I think the bloom is off the rose now with kiss-and-tell books

Origin:

Middle English: from Old Norse blóm 'flower, blossom', blómi 'prosperity', blómar 'flowers'

bloom in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of bloom in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

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