Pa. t. blew. Pa. pple. blown. Forms: 1 blówan, 2–5 blowen, 3–7 blowe, 6– blow. Pa. t. 1 bléow, 3 bleou, (bloude). Pa. pple. 1 (ʓe)blówen, (3–4 blowe), 6– blown. [OE. blówan, 3rd sing. bléwþ, pa. t. bléow, pa. pple. blówen, represented in the other W.Ger. langs. by weak vbs., OS. blôjan (MDu. and Du. bloeien), OHG. bluojan (MHG. blüejen, blüen, mod.G. blühen), pointing to an OTeut. str. vb. *blôjan, from root blō-, cogn. with L. flōs, flōrem flower, flōrēre to bloom; cf. BLOOM, BLOSSOM, BLADE, BLEDE. Already in OE. the pa. t. coincided with that of bláwan, BLOW v.1, and in ME. the two verbs ran together in form.]
1. intr. To burst into flower; to blossom, bloom.
c. 1000. Sax. Leechd., I. 98. Ðonne heo grewð & blewð.
c. 1200. Trin. Coll. Hom., 177. Trewes growen, blouwen and bereð blostmen.
c. 1205. Lay., 2013. Bi-heold he þene wode hu he bleou [1250 bloude].
c. 1400. in Househ. Ord. (1790), 472. April, May, and June, while that trees blowen.
1578. Lyte, Dodoens, V. xxi. 578.
1590. Shaks., Mids. N., II. i. 249. I know a banke where the wilde time blows.
1667. Milton, P. L., VII. 319. These scarce blown, Forth flourish’t thick the clustring Vine.
1697. Dryden, Virg. Past., III. 83. The Blossoms blow; the Birds on Bushes sing.
1855. Tennyson, Daisy, 16. Here and there … A milky-bell’d amaryllis blew.
b. transf.
c. 1430. Hymns Virg. (1867), 69. Now seiþ he, he loued me to longe, For myn heer bigynneþ to blowe.
2. fig. To flourish, bloom; to attain perfection.
1610. Guillim, Heraldry, III. ix. 110. Our flowry youth … It growes, it blowes, it spreds—it sheds her beauty in one day.
1675. Dryden, Aurengz., Prol. 33. Wit in Northern Climates will not blow.
1830. Tennyson, Talk. Oak, 76. In these latter springs I saw Your own Olivia blow.
3. trans. To cause to blossom. lit. or fig. ? Obs.
a. 1645. Habington, Elegie, viii. The enamour’d Spring by kissing blows Soft blushes on her [the rose’s] cheek.
1745–6. Mrs. Delany, Autobiog. (1861), II. 417. Houses built up for blowing auriculas.
1801. Mar. Edgeworth, Early Less., Rosamond (1827), 158. Directions for blowing bulbous-rooted flowers.
