bloom

bloom

¹

1. a fine whitish coating on the surface of fruits, leaves, etc., consisting of minute grains of a waxy substance

2. Ecology a visible increase in the algal constituent of plankton, which may be seasonal or due to excessive organic pollution

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bloom

²

a rectangular mass of metal obtained by rolling or forging a cast ingot

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

bloom

[blüm]

(botany)

An individual flower. Also known as blossom.

To yield blossoms.

The waxy coating that appears as a powder on certain fruits, such as plums, and leaves, such as cabbage.

(ecology)

A colored area on the surface of bodies of water caused by heavy planktonic growth.

(engineering)

Fluorescence in lubricating oils or a cloudy surface on varnished or enameled surfaces.

To apply an antireflection coating to glass.

(geology)

blossom

(graphic arts)

A milky or foggy defect that may appear on the surface of a varnished painting; caused by moisture.

(materials)

Crystals formed on the surface of treated wood by exudation and evaporation of the solvent in preservative solutions.

(metallurgy)

A semifinished bar of metal formed from an ingot and having a rectangular cross section exceeding 36 square inches (232 square centimeters).

To hammer or roll metal in order to make its surface bright.

slag

(mineralogy)

efflorescence

(optics)

Color of oil in reflected light, differing from its color in transmitted light. Also known as fluorescence.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

bloom

1. The formation of a thin film of material on the surface of paint causing it to appear lower in gloss and milky in color. It varies in composition depending on the nature of the paint, drying conditions, etc., and may sometimes be removed with a damp cloth.

2. A type of efflorescence that appears on brickwork.

3. A discoloration or change in appearance of the surface of a rubber product (as sulfur bloom and wax bloom) caused by the migration of a liquid or solid to the surface.

4. A defect on a freshly varnished surface, appearing as a cloudy film.

5. A surface film on glass; usually results from the deposition of smoke or vapor.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. Copyright © 2003 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Bloom

 

a semifinished, metallurgical product made of steel, with a square cross section of more than 140 mm on a side, obtained from ingots by rolling in a rolling mill, the so-called blooming mill.

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Bloom

 

a solid, spongy mass of iron (with a low carbon, sulfur, phosphorus, and silicon content) with slag inclusions that fill the pores and cavities. It may be obtained either directly from ore by reducing it at 1250°-1350°C or from pig iron.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.