blest

[blest] /blɛst/

verb

a simple past tense and past participle of bless.

adjective

blessed.

bless

[bles] /blɛs/

verb (used with object), blessed or blest, blessing.

to consecrate or sanctify by a religious rite; make or pronounce holy.

to request of God the bestowal of divine favor on:

Bless this house.

to bestow good of any kind upon:

a nation blessed with peace.

to extol as holy; glorify:

Bless the name of the Lord.

to protect or guard from evil (usually used interjectionally):

Bless you! Bless your innocent little heart!

to condemn or curse:

I'll be blessed if I can see your reasoning. Bless me if it isn't my old friend!

to make the sign of the cross over or upon:

The Pope blessed the multitude.

Origin

before 950; Middle English blessen, Old English blētsian, blēdsian to consecrate, orig. with blood, earlier *blōdisōian (blōd blood + -isō- derivational suffix + -ian v. suffix)

Related forms

blesser, noun

blessingly, adverb

outbless, verb (used with object), outblessed or outblest, outblessing.

prebless, verb (used with object)

Synonyms

1. exalt, hallow, glorify, magnify, beatify.

Examples from the web for blest

He felt that he had been blest with many gifts and that he should use them to help others.
blest with victory and peace, may the heaven-rescued land.
Though his body rests where is to be heard the heavy tread of war, his soul rests with the blest in the of peace.

British Dictionary definitions for blest

blest

/blɛst/

verb

a past tense and past participle of bless

bless

/blɛs/

verb (transitive) blesses, blessing, blessed, blest

to consecrate or render holy, beneficial, or prosperous by means of a religious rite

to give honour or glory to (a person or thing) as divine or holy

to call upon God to protect; give a benediction to

to worship or adore (God); call or hold holy

(often passive) to grant happiness, health, or prosperity to: they were blessed with perfect peace

(usually passive) to endow with a talent, beauty, etc: she was blessed with an even temper

(rare) to protect against evil or harm

(interjection) bless!, an exclamation of well-wishing

(interjection) bless you!

a traditional phrase said to a person who has just sneezed
an exclamation of well-wishing or surprise

10.

(interjection) bless me!, bless my soul!, God bless my soul!, an exclamation of surprise

11.

not have a penny to bless oneself with, to be desperately poor

Word Origin

Old English blǣdsian to sprinkle with sacrificial blood; related to blōdblood

Word Origin and History for blest

alternative past tense and past participle of bless.

bless

Old English bletsian, bledsian, Northumbrian bloedsian "to consecrate, make holy, give thanks," from Proto-Germanic *blodison "hallow with blood, mark with blood," from *blotham "blood" (see blood).

Originally a blood sprinkling on pagan altars. This word was chosen in Old English bibles to translate Latin benedicere and Greek eulogein, both of which have a ground sense of "to speak well of, to praise," but were used in Scripture to translate Hebrew brk "to bend (the knee), worship, praise, invoke blessings." Meaning shifted in late Old English toward "pronounce or make happy," by resemblance to unrelated bliss. No cognates in other languages. Related: Blessed; blessing.

blest in the Bible

(1.) God blesses his people when he bestows on them some gift temporal or spiritual (Gen. 1:22; 24:35; Job 42:12; Ps. 45:2; 104:24, 35). (2.) We bless God when we thank him for his mercies (Ps. 103:1, 2; 145:1, 2). (3.) A man blesses himself when he invokes God's blessing (Isa. 65:16), or rejoices in God's goodness to him (Deut. 29:19; Ps. 49:18). (4.) One blesses another when he expresses good wishes or offers prayer to God for his welfare (Gen. 24:60; 31:55; 1 Sam. 2:20). Sometimes blessings were uttered under divine inspiration, as in the case of Noah, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses (Gen. 9:26, 27; 27:28, 29, 40; 48:15-20; 49:1-28; Deut. 33). The priests were divinely authorized to bless the people (Deut. 10:8; Num. 6:22-27). We have many examples of apostolic benediction (2 Cor. 13:14; Eph. 6:23, 24; 2 Thess. 3:16, 18; Heb. 13:20, 21; 1 Pet. 5:10, 11). (5.) Among the Jews in their thank-offerings the master of the feast took a cup of wine in his hand, and after having blessed God for it and for other mercies then enjoyed, handed it to his guests, who all partook of it. Ps. 116:13 refers to this custom. It is also alluded to in 1 Cor. 10:16, where the apostle speaks of the "cup of blessing."