Bloom

the flower of a plant.
flowers collectively:
the bloom of the cherry tree.
state of having the buds opened:
The gardens are all in bloom.
a flourishing, healthy condition; the time or period of greatest beauty, artistry, etc.:
the bloom of youth; the bloom of Romanticism.
a glow or flush on the cheek indicative of youth and health:
a serious illness that destroyed her bloom.
the glossy, healthy appearance of the coat of an animal.
a moist, lustrous appearance indicating freshness in fish.
redness or a fresh appearance on the surface of meat.
Botany. a whitish powdery deposit or coating, as on the surface of certain fruits and leaves:
the bloom of the grape.
any similar surface coating or appearance:
the bloom of newly minted coins.
any of certain minerals occurring as powdery coatings on rocks or other minerals.
Also called chill. a clouded or dull area on a varnished or lacquered surface.
Also called algal bloom, water bloom. the sudden development of conspicuous masses of organisms, as algae, on the surface of a body of water.
Television. image spread produced by excessive exposure of highlights in a television image.
to produce or yield blossoms.
to flourish or thrive:
a recurrent fad that blooms from time to time.
to be in or achieve a state of healthful beauty and vigor:
a sickly child who suddenly bloomed; a small talent that somehow bloomed into major artistry.
to glow with warmth or with a warm color.
to cause to yield blossoms.
to make bloom or cause to flourish:
a happiness that blooms the cheek.
to invest with luster or beauty:
an industry that blooms one’s talents.
to cause a cloudy area on (something shiny); dampen; chill:
Their breath bloomed the frosty pane.
Optics. to coat (a lens) with an antireflection material.
take the bloom off, to remove the enjoyment or ultimate satisfaction from; dampen the enthusiasm over:
The coach’s illness took the bloom off the team’s victory.
the bloom is off (the rose), the excitement, enjoyment, interest, etc., has ended or been dampened.
a piece of steel, square or slightly oblong in section, reduced from an ingot to dimensions suitable for further rolling.
a large lump of iron and slag, of pasty consistency when hot, produced in a puddling furnace or bloomery and hammered into wrought iron.
to make (an ingot) into a bloom.
Harold, born 1930, U.S. literary critic and teacher.
Contemporary Examples

Jennifer Garner’s Screwball Turn Marlow Stern September 4, 2011
David Pogue and Nicki Dugan: A Conflict of Interest? Dan Lyons May 26, 2011
Compliments Are Nice, but Enough With the Cormac McCarthy Comparisons William Giraldi October 20, 2014
John Sutherland‘s Enjoyable Little History of Literature Malcolm Forbes November 28, 2013
‘The Bling Ring’ Case Revealed: The Stars’ Grand-Jury Testimony Marlow Stern June 10, 2013

Historical Examples

The Seven Secrets William Le Queux
The Adventures of the Chevalier De La Salle and His Companions, in Their Explorations of the Prairies, Forests, Lakes, and Rivers, of the New World, and Their Interviews with the Savage Tribes, Two Hundred Years Ago John S. C. Abbott
The Myrtle Reed Cook Book Myrtle Reed
Floyd Grandon’s Honor Amanda Minnie Douglas
Flowers of Mountain and Plain Edith S. Clements

noun
a blossom on a flowering plant; a flower
the state, time, or period when flowers open (esp in the phrases in bloom, in full bloom)
open flowers collectively: a tree covered with bloom
a healthy, vigorous, or flourishing condition; prime (esp in the phrase the bloom of youth)
youthful or healthy rosiness in the cheeks or face; glow
a fine whitish coating on the surface of fruits, leaves, etc, consisting of minute grains of a waxy substance
any coating similar in appearance, such as that on new coins
(ecology) a visible increase in the algal constituent of plankton, which may be seasonal or due to excessive organic pollution
Also called chill. a dull area formed on the surface of gloss paint, lacquer, or varnish
verb (mainly intransitive)
(of flowers) to open; come into flower
to bear flowers; blossom
to flourish or grow
to be in a healthy, glowing, or flourishing condition
(transitive) (physics) to coat (a lens) with a thin layer of a substance, often magnesium fluoride, to eliminate surface reflection
noun
a rectangular mass of metal obtained by rolling or forging a cast ingot See also billet1 (sense 2)
verb
(transitive) to convert (an ingot) into a bloom by rolling or forging
n.
v.