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bloom 1 (blm) Share: Tweet n. 1. a. The flower of a plant. b. Something resembling the flower of a plant: "Her hair was caught all to one side in a great bloom of frizz" (Anne Tyler). 2. a. The condition of being in flower: a rose in full bloom. b. A condition or time of vigor and beauty; prime: "the radiant bloom of Greek genius" (Edith Hamilton). 3. A fresh, rosy complexion: "She was short, plump, and fair, with a fine bloom" (Jane Austen). 4. a. A waxy or powdery whitish to bluish coating on the surface of certain plant parts, as on cabbage leaves or on a plum or grape. b. A similar coating, as on newly minted coins. c. Grayish blotches or streaks on the surface of chocolate produced by the formation of cocoa butter crystals. d. Chemistry See efflorescence. 5. Glare that is caused by a shiny object reflecting too much light into a camera. 6. A colored area on the surface of a body of water caused by large numbers of phytoplankton, especially cyanobacteria. v. bloomed, bloom·ing, blooms v.intr. 1. a. To bear a flower or flowers. b. To support plant life in abundance: rains that made the yard bloom. 2. To glow; be radiant: "Our summer-gray potbellied stove bloomed rosy red during winter" (Maya Angelou). 3. To mature or flourish with youth and vigor: genius blooming under a great teacher. 4. To appear or come into being suddenly: "Her pale shoulders bloomed from the green flounces" (Erin McGraw). v.tr. 1. To cause to flourish. 2. Obsolete To cause to flower. [Middle English blom, from Old Norse blōm; see bhel-3 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] bloomy adj. Synonyms: bloom1, blossom, efflorescence, florescence, flower, flush1, prime These nouns denote a condition or time of greatest vigor and freshness: beauty in full bloom; the blossom of a great romance; the efflorescence of Russian literature; the florescence of Greek civilization; in the flower of youthful enthusiasm; in the flush of their success; the prime of life. (click for a larger image) bloom1 yellowish phytoplankton bloom at the Leighton Moss nature reserve near Carnforth, England

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.

bloom 2 (blm) Share: Tweet n. 1. A bar of steel prepared for rolling. 2. A mass of wrought iron ready for further working. [Middle English blome, lump of metal, from Old English blōma; see bhel-3 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.

Bloom (blm), Harold 1930-2019. Share: Tweet American literary theorist and scholar whose works include The Anxiety of Influence (1973).

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.

# Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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