bloom

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. The flower of a plant.
2. n. Something resembling the flower of a plant: "Her hair was caught all to one side in a great bloom of frizz” ( Anne Tyler).
3. n. The condition of being in flower: a rose in full bloom.
4. n. A condition or time of vigor, freshness, and beauty; prime: "the radiant bloom of Greek genius” ( Edith Hamilton).
5. n. A fresh, rosy complexion: "She was short, plump, and fair, with a fine bloom” ( Jane Austen).
6. n. 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.
7. n. A similar coating, as on newly minted coins.
8. n. Grayish blotches or streaks on the surface of chocolate produced by the formation of cocoa butter crystals.
9. n. Chemistry See efflorescence.
10. n. Glare that is caused by a shiny object reflecting too much light into a television camera.
11. n. A visible, colored area on the surface of bodies of water caused by excessive planktonic growth.
12. v. To bear a flower or flowers.
13. v. To support plant life in abundance: rains that made the yard bloom.
14. v. To shine; glow.
15. v. To grow or flourish with youth and vigor.
16. v. To appear or expand suddenly: White vapor bloomed from the side of the rocket's fuel tank.
17. v. To cause to flourish.
18. v. Obsolete To cause to flower.
19. n. A bar of steel prepared for rolling.
20. n. A mass of wrought iron ready for further working.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A blossom; the flower of a plant, especially of an ornamental plant; an expanded bud.
2. n. The state of blossoming; the opening of flowers in general; flowers collectively: as, the plant is in bloom, or covered with bloom.
3. n. A state of health and growth promising higher perfection; a flourishing condition; a palmy time: as, the bloom of youth.
4. n. The rosy hue on the cheek indicative of youth and health; a glow; a flush.
5. n. A name sometimes given to minerals having a bright color: as, the rose-red cobalt bloom, or erythrite, etc.
6. n. A powdery deposit or coating of various kinds. The delicate, powdery, waxy coating upon certain fruits, as grapes, plums, etc., and leaves, as of the cabbage.
7. n. The powdery appearance on coins, medals, and the like, when newly struck.
8. n. In painting, a cloudy appearance on the surface of varnish.
9. n. The yellowish fawn-colored deposit from the tanning-liquor on the surface of leather, and penetrating it to a slight depth.
10. n. A fine variety of raisin.
11. To produce or yield blossoms; flower, literally or figuratively.
12. To glow with a warm color.
13. To be in a state of healthful beauty and vigor; show the beauty of youth; flourish; glow.
14. To put forth, as blossoms.
15. To impart a bloom to; invest with luster or beauty.
16. n. A roughly prepared mass of iron, nearly square in section, and short in proportion to its thickness, intended to be drawn out under the hammer or between the rolls into bars. Some blooms are made directly from the ore in bloomeries, but most of them by shingling the puddled balls from the puddling-furnace. See bloomery, blooming-mill, forge, and puddle, v.

Wiktionary

1. n. The spongy mass of metal formed in a furnace by the smelting process.
2. v. transitive To cause to blossom; to make flourish.
3. v. transitive To bestow a bloom upon; to make blooming or radiant.
4. v. intransitive Of a plant, to produce blooms; to open its blooms.
5. v. intransitive, figuratively Of a person, business, etc, to flourish.
6. n. A blossom; the flower of a plant; an expanded bud.
7. n. Flowers, collectively.
8. n. uncountable The opening of flowers in general; the state of blossoming or of having the flowers open.
9. n. A state or time of beauty, freshness, and vigor/vigour; an opening to higher perfection, analogous to that of buds into blossoms.
10. n. The delicate, powdery coating upon certain growing or newly-gathered fruits or leaves, as on grapes, plums, etc.
11. n. Anything giving an appearance of attractive freshness.
12. n. The clouded appearance which varnish sometimes takes upon the surface of a picture.
13. n. A yellowish deposit or powdery coating which appears on well-tanned leather. (Knight.)
14. n. mineralogy A popular term for a bright-hued variety of some minerals.
15. n. A white area of cocoa butter that forms on the surface of chocolate when warmed and cooled.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. A blossom; the flower of a plant; an expanded bud; flowers, collectively.
2. n. The opening of flowers in general; the state of blossoming or of having the flowers open.
3. n. A state or time of beauty, freshness, and vigor; an opening to higher perfection, analogous to that of buds into blossoms.
4. n. The delicate, powdery coating upon certain growing or newly-gathered fruits or leaves, as on grapes, plums, etc. Hence: Anything giving an appearance of attractive freshness; a flush; a glow.
5. n. The clouded appearance which varnish sometimes takes upon the surface of a picture.
6. n. A yellowish deposit or powdery coating which appears on well-tanned leather.
7. n. (Min.) A popular term for a bright-hued variety of some minerals.
8. v. To produce or yield blossoms; to blossom; to flower or be in flower.
9. v. To be in a state of healthful, growing youth and vigor; to show beauty and freshness, as of flowers; to give promise, as by or with flowers.
10. v. rare To cause to blossom; to make flourish.
11. v. rare To bestow a bloom upon; to make blooming or radiant.
12. n. A mass of wrought iron from the Catalan forge or from the puddling furnace, deprived of its dross, and shaped usually in the form of oblong block by shingling.
13. n. A large bar of steel formed directly from an ingot by hammering or rolling, being a preliminary shape for further working.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. the period of greatest prosperity or productivity
2. n. the best time of youth
3. n. a rosy color (especially in the cheeks) taken as a sign of good health
4. v. produce or yield flowers
5. n. reproductive organ of angiosperm plants especially one having showy or colorful parts
6. n. a powdery deposit on a surface
7. n. the organic process of bearing flowers