bletza, mod. blessa, að, [A. S. bletzian; Engl. bless; akin to blót, blóta, denoting worship]:—to bless; an English word, which came to Icel. and Norway along with the Gospel; in Norway it never took root, and soon died out, and is at present unknown in Scandinavia; whilst in Icel. it grew from a term of worship into a household word of endearment and affection; the guest or traveller is met with a ‘Guð blessi þig,’ God bless thee, in reply to his greeting, ‘hér sé Guð,’ when entering a house; it is also the reply to one returning thanks. The Norseman, Swede, and Dane say, ‘Gud signe dig’ (cp. Germ. segnen), whilst ‘signa’ (signare) in Icel. usage only means to make the sign of the cross. Bleza is used as a standing epithet of the sun, blessuð sólin, the blessed sun: so also the alliterative phrase, blessað barnið, the blessed bairn; blessaðr, blessuð, in addressing, cp. Engl. bless you! In old writers it answers to Lat. benedicere:

α. with acc., Stj. 28, 655 ix, ‘benedictus’ þýðir b., xxi, Fms. i. 230, K. Á. 120.

β. with dat., rare and now unusual; Guð b. fiskum ok fuglum, Stj. 18, Eluc. 40, Blas. 40; blessuð ertú á meðal kvenna, N. T. Luke i. 28.

2. reflex. to give good luck, succeed.