bless you
interjection
- response to sneezing
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈblɛs juː/ / /ˈblɛʃ(j)uː/
intj
Etymology: Short for God bless you, from Middle English God blesse you, God blisse you.
- Short for (may) God bless you: said as a short prayer for the recipient.
- Said to someone who has just sneezed, as a polite remark.
- Used to express non-understanding of someone who has just used an unusual or foreign word or phrase (as if to imply that it sounds like a sneeze).
“‘What’s that?’ said Ron, pointing at a large dish of some sort of shellfish stew that stood beside a large steak-and-kidney pudding. ‘Bouillabaisse,’ said Hermione. ‘Bless you,’ said Ron. ‘It’s French,’ said Hermione. ‘I had it on holiday, summer before last, it’s very nice.’”