blessing

plural blessings

1. Some kind of divine or supernatural aid, or reward.

   Henceforth, wherever thou may’st roam, ⁠My blessing, like a line of light, ⁠Is on the waters day and night, And like a beacon guards thee home.

   1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XVII”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 28

2. A pronouncement invoking divine aid.

   Then everybody once more knelt, and soon the blessing was pronounced. The choir and the clergy trooped out slowly, […], down the nave to the western door. […] At a seemingly immense distance the surpliced group stopped to say the last prayer.

   1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter V, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC

3. Good fortune.

   He was given blessings hoping he would pass his final exam.

4. lifestyleA modern pagan ceremony.
5. The act of declaring or bestowing favor; approval.

   We will not proceed without the executive director's blessing.

   1 more example

   Jocasta had my blessing when she seduced you, you stuck-up piffler.

   2004, David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas, London: Sceptre (Hodder and Stoughton), →ISBN

6. Something someone is glad of.

   After two weeks of sun, last night's rainfall was a blessing.

7. A prayer before a meal; grace.
8. collectiveA group of unicorns.

   Then a blessing of unicorns charged into the studio, and I was carried away to be re-educated.

   2009, Andrew Orlowski, "Facebook music dashboard: Revenue at last?", The Register, 13 September 2011

   2 more examples

   And since we’re laying out our wishes, we’d also like a blessing of unicorns and one million dollars.

   2008 September 11, Betsy Schiffman, “Time To Trash the Intellectual Property System, Says Report”, in Wired

   She just wants to talk to her friends on www.unicornwillsaveus.com or write in her journal or flump on her bedroom floor with her blessing of unicorns: her posters, figurines, stickers, temporary tattoos of anatomically correct unicorns.

   2011, Suzette Mayr, Monoceros, Coach House Books, published 2011, →ISBN, page 94

1. gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of bless

plural Blessings

1. A surname.
2. A unisex given name of mainly African usage.