From Middle English blosme, from Old English blostm, blostma, from Proto-Germanic *blōstmô (compare Western Frisian blossem, Dutch bloesem; related to *blōstaz [compare German Blust]), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₃-s-, from *bʰleh₃- ("to bloom, to thrive").

• (RP) IPA: /ˈblɒs.əm/
• (America) IPA: /ˈblɑ.səm/
• (Australia) IPA: /ˈblɔs.əm/

blossom

1. A flower, especially one indicating that a fruit tree is fruiting; (collectively) a mass of such flowers.

   The blossom has come early this year.

   • 1530 January 27 (Gregorian calendar), W[illiam] T[yndale], transl., [The Pentateuch] (Tyndale Bible), Malborow [Marburg], Hesse: […] Hans Luft [actually Antwerp: Johan Hoochstraten], →OCLC ↗, Numeri xvij:[8], folio xxxiiij, verso ↗:

     And on the moꝛowe / Moſes went in to the tabernacle: and beholde / the rod of Aaron of the houſſe of Leui was budded ⁊ bare bloſomes and almondes.

   • 1816 June – 1817 April/May (date written), [Mary Shelley], chapter III, in Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. […], volume I, London: […] [Macdonald and Son] for Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, & Jones, published 1 January 1818, →OCLC ↗, [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=emu.010001278701;view=1up;seq=111 page 95]:

     Winter, spring, and summer, passed away during my labours; but I did not watch the blossom or the expanding leaves—sights which before always yielded me supreme delight, so deeply was I engrossed in my occupation.

2. The state or season of producing such flowers.

   The orchard is in blossom.

   • 1919 October, John Galsworthy, chapter I, in Saint’s Progress, London: William Heinemann, published December 1919, →OCLC ↗, part III, 1 §, page 217 ↗:

     Down by the River Wye, among plum-trees in blossom, Noel had laid her baby in a hammock, and stood reading a letter: […]

3. (figurative) A blooming period or stage of development; something lovely that gives rich promise.
4. The colour of a horse that has white hairs intermixed with sorrel and bay hairs.

• French: fleur
• German: Blüte
• Italian: bocciolo
• Portuguese: flor
• Russian: цвето́к
• Spanish: flor

• French: floraison
• German: Blüte
• Portuguese: floração, florada
• Russian: период цветения
• Spanish: floración

• German: Blütezeit
• Russian: расцве́т

blossom (blossoms, present participle blossoming; simple past and past participle blossomed)

1. (intransitive) To have, or open into, blossoms; to bloom.
   • 1530 January 27 (Gregorian calendar), W[illiam] T[yndale], transl., [The Pentateuch] (Tyndale Bible), Malborow [Marburg], Hesse: […] Hans Luft [actually Antwerp: Johan Hoochstraten], →OCLC ↗, Numeri xvij:[1–2 and 5], folio xxxiiij, verso ↗:

     ANd the Loꝛde ſpake vnto Moſes ſayenge: ſpeake vnto the childern of Iſrael and take of them / foꝛ euery pꝛyncypall houſſe a rod / of their pꝛinces ouer the houſſes of their fathers: euen .xij. roddes / and wꝛyte euery mans name apon his rod. […] And his rod whom I choſe / ſhall bloſſome: So I wyll make ceaſe from me the grudgynges of the childern of Iſrael which they grudge agenſt you.

2. (intransitive) To begin to thrive or flourish.
   • 1869, Louisa M[ay] Alcott, “Gossip”, in Little Women: […], part second, Boston, Mass.: Roberts Brothers, →OCLC ↗, page 5 ↗:

     A quiet, studious man, rich in the wisdom that is better than learning, the charity which calls all mankind "brother," the piety that blossoms into character, making it august and lovely.

• (have, or open into, blossoms) bloom, come into bloom, come into blossom, flower
• (begin to thrive or flourish) bloom, flourish, grow, prosper, thrive

• French: fleurir
• German: blühen, erblühen
• Italian: fiorire
• Portuguese: desabrochar, florir, florescer
• Russian: цвести́
• Spanish: florecer

• French: s'épanouir
• German: blühen, aufblühen
• Portuguese: florescer, prosperar
• Russian: расцвета́ть

From blossom.

1. A hamlet in New York.
2. A city in Texas.
3. (rare) A female given name