Originally Posted by
GUWonder
That too.
Bless’s etymology goes back to proto-Germanic’s blodison, which was back around when it was considered civilized to bleed people on altars.
Lovely!
Yes I don't doubt the word has older origins, but its use in response to a sneeze was what I thought was Plague-related.
Absolutely not arguing though, this is just what I heard years ago - I'm not going to defend its veracity or otherwise!