benediction /ˌbɛnəˈdɪkʃən/ noun4 •A short invocation for help, blessing and guidance from God, said on behalf of another person or persons (sometimes at the end of a church worship service).O, look upon me, sir, And hold your hands in benediction o’er me. — 1603 •Help, good fortune or reward from God or another supernatural source.[…] they throng who should buy first, as if my trinkets had been hallowed and brought a benediction to the buyer: — 1610 •In the Anglican church, the ceremony used to institute an abbot, analogous to the consecration of a bishop. •A Roman Catholic rite by which bells, banners, candles, etc., are blessed with holy water and formally dedicated to God.[He] later liked to attend benediction in the chapel at Brideshead and see the ladies of the family with their necks arched in devotion under their black lace mantillas; [...] — 1945 formsbenedictions
