Bless

a. (imp. and pp. BLESSED, OF BLEST.) [A. S. bledsian, bletsian, from blithe, blithe, joyful, merry; Swed. and Goth. blezan, or blizt, ble ing; Goth. bleiths, merciful.] To make blithe, joyous, or glad; to make happy or prosperous; to render succe ful. IMG:content-0651.png:[blocks in formation] "The giver of the gift or ble er of the action." - Taylor. Ble 'ing, n. Any of the means of happine ; a gift, benefit, or advantage. transpiration of water from the leaves taking place with greater rapidity than it can be supplied by the absorp- tion of the roots, and also by the roots becoming attacked by fungous spawn. In very hot weather in summer, branches of fruit-trees trained against walls, or of goose- berry bushes on espaliers, are sometimes withered up in a few minutes from this cause. What country- men call the blight on standard apple or other fruit- trees in orchards is commonly nothing more than the injuries done to the leaves and buds by the caterpillars of certain moths; that on thorn hedges, by the cater- pillar of the saw-fly, or of the ermine, or of some other moths; and that on roses, by the aphides or green fly. -In a figurative sense, anything which destroys one's hopes, or frustrates one's aims; as, blighted hopes. (Med.) A variety of the nettle lichen, (L. urticosus,) consisting of an eruption on the human skin, of minute reddish principles, appearing in spots, or, more generally, diffused. Blight, v. a. To affect with blight; to wither up; to blast; to destroy; to corrupt with mildew; to frustrate. "And roughly blight the tender buds of joy, Let reason teach."- Lyttelton . -. ί. Το corrupt or wither, as by blight. Blight'ed, p . a . Blasted; disappointed, or frustrated. Blight'ing, ppr . or withering. Blightingly , adv . By blasting, as if with mildew.