bloom

Etymology 1

From Middle English blome, from Old Norse blóm, from Proto-Germanic *blōmô (“flower”). Doublet of bloom (“spongy mass of metal”); see there for more.

noun

1. A blossom; the flower of a plant; an expanded bud.
2. (collective) Flowers.
3. (uncountable) The opening of flowers in general; the state of blossoming or of having the flowers open.
   The cherry trees are in bloom.
4. (figurative) A state or time of beauty, freshness, and vigor; an opening to higher perfection, analogous to that of buds into blossoms.
   the bloom of youth
   We can have some more / Nature is a whore / Bruises on the fruit / Tender age in bloom 1992, “In Bloom”, in Kurt Cobain (lyrics), Nevermind, performed by Nirvana
5. Rosy colour; the flush or glow on a person's cheek.
6. The delicate, powdery coating upon certain growing or newly-gathered fruits or leaves, as on grapes, plums, etc.
   The bloom on blueberries is the dusty powder that protects them from the Sun; it does not rinse off. 2010, Donna Pliner Rodnitzky, Low-Carb Smoothies
7. Anything giving an appearance of attractive freshness.
8. An algal bloom.
   Where upwellings or other sources of nutrients allow Ehux to abound, it can proliferate, as blooms, to the point that the ocean turns milky. 2018, Tim Flannery, Europe: A Natural History, page 28
9. The clouded appearance which varnish sometimes takes upon the surface of a picture.
10. A yellowish deposit or powdery coating which appears on well-tanned leather.
11. (mineralogy) A bright-hued variety of some minerals.
    the rose-red cobalt bloom
12. (cooking) A white area of cocoa butter that forms on the surface of chocolate when warmed and cooled.
13. (television) An undesirable halo effect that may occur when a very bright region is displayed next to a very dark region of the screen.
14. (video games) The increase in bullet spread over time as a gun's trigger is kept held.
    Bloom does add a skill element, burst firing the weapon instead of holding the trigger down, but it's questionable if adding a skill element like that is the actual intent of bloom, because that’s a pretty lame and linear skill element to add, requiring people to tap the button instead of hold it down. February 21, 2018, “Bullet Bloom: An FPS Tragedy”, in CritPoints

Etymology 2

From Middle English bloom (“a blossom”).

verb

1. (transitive) To cause to blossom; to make flourish.
2. (transitive) To bestow a bloom upon; to make blooming or radiant.
3. (intransitive) Of a plant, to produce blooms; to open its blooms.
4. (intransitive, figurative) Of a person, business, etc, to flourish; to be in a state of healthful, growing youth and vigour; to show beauty and freshness.
   The attacking three have also been allowed to bloom. Liberated from deep defensive duties Eden Hazard has become more expressive, more obviously, flashily complete. May 13, 2017, Barney Ronay, “Antonio Conte’s brilliance has turned Chelsea’s pop-up team into champions”, in the Guardian
   A better country blooms to view, / Beneath a brighter sky. a. 1788, John Logan, A Tale
5. (cooking) To bring out the flavor of a spice by cooking it in oil.
6. (intransitive, cooking, of chocolate) To develop a layer of bloom (white, spotty areas of cocoa butter) due to repeated warming and cooling.

Etymology 3

From Middle English blome, from Old English blōma (“flower; lump of metal”), from Proto-Germanic *blōmô (“flower”). Cognate with West Frisian blom, Dutch bloem, German Blume, Icelandic blóm, Danish blomme, Gothic 𐌱𐌻𐍉𐌼𐌰 (blōma). Related to blow, blade, blead; also related to flower, foil, and belladonna.

noun

1. The spongy mass of metal formed in a furnace by the smelting process.
   These metallic bodies gradually increasing in volume finally conglomerate into a larger mass, the bloom, which is extracted from the furnace with tongs. 1957, H.R. Schubert, History of the British Iron and Steel Industry, page 26