flower
Part of speech: noun
verb
Morphological type: simple
Topics: biology
botany
chemistry
media
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
printing
publishing
Etymology: From Middle English flour, from Anglo-Norman flur, from Latin flōrem, accusative of flōs, from Proto-Italic *flōs, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₃- (“to thrive, bloom”). Doublet of fleur, flor, flour, bloom, and blossom.
Partly displaced native Old English blostma (which is cognate), whence Modern English blossom.
Inflected forms:
form: flowers
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: flowre
pos: noun
tags: alternative
obsolete
form: flow'r
pos: noun
tags: alternative
archaic
poetic
form: flowers
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: flowering
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: flowered
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: flowered
pos: verb
tags: past
form: flowre
pos: verb
tags: alternative
obsolete
form: flow'r
pos: verb
tags: alternative
archaic
poetic
Senses:
gloss: A colorful, conspicuous structure associated with angiosperms, frequently scented and attracting various insects, and which may or may not be used for sexual reproduction.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: O Laurinella! little doſt thou wot / How fraile a flower thou doſt ſo highly prize: / Beauty's the flower, but love the flower-pot / That muſt preſerve it, els it quickly dyes.
The flowers glowed red and golden: snapdragons and sunflowers, and nasturtians trailing all over the turf walls and peeping in at the round windows.
gloss: A reproductive structure in angiosperms (flowering plants), often conspicuously colourful and typically including sepals, petals, and either or both stamens and/or a pistil.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: You know, Darwin studied their fertilisation, and showed that the whole structure of an ordinary orchid flower was contrived in order that moths might carry the pollen from plant to plant.
gloss: A plant that bears flowers, especially a plant that is small and lacks wood.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: We transplanted the flowers to a larger pot.
gloss: The stem of a flowering plant with the blossom or blossoms attached, used for decoration, as a gift, etc.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: He always keeps a vase full of flowers in his office.
gloss: Of plants, a state of bearing blooms.
pos: noun
tags: uncountable
usually
examples: The dogwoods are in flower this week.
gloss: The vulva, especially the labia majora.
pos: noun
tags: countable
euphemistic
familiar
uncountable
examples: [F]or ſtill, that my virgin-flower was yet uncrop'd never once enter'd into his head, and he would have thought it idling with time and words to have queſtion'd me upon it.
So was it asserted, that whenever a maiden was destined to die unmarried, as surely would the plant wither away and perish, and if a dughter of the Renseccos lost her honour or had given away her flower to an unworthy lover, then would the flower be blighted overnight.
In some local tradditions a fallen bride was married wearing a crown of straw rather than a garland of flowers, to symbolize her loss of virginity – the wilting of her flower.
"Our flesh as one!" he laughed, speaking loudly. "Sweating bodies entwined in carnal passion! As I plunge myself deep into her lady flower, again and again and again— !"
gloss: The best examples or representatives of a group.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: At Floddon hyllys, / Our bowys, our byllys / Slew all the floure / Of theyr honoure.
The choice and flower of all things profitable in other Bookes, the Pſalmes doe both more briefly contayne, and more mouingly alſo expreſſe, by reason of that Poeticall forme wherewith they are written.
the flower of the chivalry of all Spain
In times of peace, so clean and bright, / And with a new-washed morning face, / He walked Pall Mall, a goodly sight, / The finished flower of all the race.
gloss: The best state of things; the prime.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: She was in the flower of her life.
A simple maiden in her flower / Is worth a hundred coats-of-arms.
NO lady fair in hall or bower, / In days when knighthood was in flower, / Or high-born dame with jewels set, / Or Tudor or Plantagenet, / E’er wore enwreath’d on form and face / Thy royal robe of richest grace.
gloss: Flour.
pos: noun
tags: countable
obsolete
uncountable
examples: The Flovvers of Grains mix'd vvith VVater vvill make a ſort of Glue.
gloss: A substance in the form of a powder, especially when condensed from sublimation.
pos: noun
tags: countable
in-plural
obsolete
uncountable
examples: the flowers of sulphur
Exposed to a moderate fire in subliming pots, [brimstone] rises all into dry, and almost tasteless, flowers; whereas being exposed to a naked fire, it affords store of a saline and fretting liquor.
gloss: A figure of speech; an ornament of style.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
gloss: Ornamental type used chiefly for borders around pages, cards, etc.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: I pointed out to the late Mr. Catherwood, of the firm of Caslon and Catherwood, the inconvenience of both these modes of cutting flowers,
gloss: Menstrual discharges.
pos: noun
tags: countable
in-plural
obsolete
uncountable
examples: And if any man lye with her at all, and her flowers be vpon him, hee shall be vncleane seuen dayes: and all the bed whereon he lyeth, shall be vncleane.
gloss: A delicate, fragile, or oversensitive person.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: […] she whispered leaning over and kissing her forehead; and then added, 'Mummy loves you, precious flower.'
“Take care of yourself out there, Brown, you delicate flower.”
“Come on, you delicate flower, we just need to nap. It will be fine.”
gloss: Credit, recognition.
pos: noun
tags: countable
figuratively
in-plural
uncountable
examples: to give someone his flowers; to get one's flowers
It has been my desire to find a way to express my gratitude to these women for quite some time but I really did not know how to give them their flowers as a method to tell them thanks.
I was able to give Coach Bryant his flowers while he was alive, and I have always been thankful I was able to do that.
Gonzalo managed to fake a smile. When will anyone ever give him his flowers? His hard work kept him and his kingdom this far. Wasn't anyone going to acknowledge the fact?
Sabrina Carpenter is, finally, getting her flowers. Ever since demurely (I don't use that word lightly!!!) performing what would become the song of 2024 as part of her Coachella set—no, literally, "Espresso" just won the MTV Video Music Award for Song of the Year—all eyes have been on 'Brina.
gloss: Cannabis.
pos: noun
tags: slang
uncountable
gloss: To put forth blooms.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
examples: This plant flowers in June.
gloss: To decorate with pictures of flowers.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
gloss: To reach a state of full development or achievement.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
examples: when flowr'd my youthful spring
It only needed watering to take root, to flower and to fructify, and the watering came in due course.
In life after life of this now-expanded circle of women artists, writers and revolutionaries, the same appeared: a flowing of creative insight and vision seemed the follow a sexual flowering.
gloss: To froth; to ferment gently, as new beer.
pos: verb
tags: archaic
intransitive
examples: That beer did flower a little.
gloss: To come off as flowers by sublimation.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
examples: observations which have flowered off
Synonyms: head
pseudanthium
bloom
blossom
flower
Related words: Appendix:Flowers
fleur
flora
Flora
floret
florid
florist
floristics
inflorescence
Derived words: animal flower
arcigera flower moth
Bach flower remedy
Bach flower therapy
ball-flower
ball flower
balloon flower
basketflower
bat flower
beflower
bellflower
Bill Gates' flower fly
blanket flower
blanketflower
bone-eating snot flower
bone-eating snot flower worm
breeches-flower
brimstone flower
bunchflower
burst into flower
butter flower
cardinal flower
carrion flower
Chihuahua flower
chocolate flower
Christmas flower
composite flower
coneflower
cone flower
cone-flower
corkscrew flower
cornflower
crowflower
crown flower
cuckooflower
cupflower
dayflower
Easter flower
egg flower soup
elderflower
electric flower car
enflower
equinox flower
everlasting flower
fanflower
fennelflower
fennel-flower
Fine Flower
firecracker flower
flameflower
flamingo flower
flannel flower
flowerage
flower arrangement
flower-bearing
flower bed
flower beetle
flower bond
flower box
flower bug
flower car
flower chafer
flower child
flower clock
flower cluster
flower crown
flower delice
flower-de-luce
flower deluce
flowerer
flower-fence
flower-fly
flower fly
flowerful
flower garden
flower-gentle
flower head
flower hoe
flowerhorn
flowerkind
flowerless
flowerlet
flowerlike
flower longhorn
flowerly
flower mantis
flower moon
flower moth
Flower Mound
flowerness
flower-of-an-hour
flower of Jove
flower of life
flower of the flock
flowerpecker
flower-petal
flower petal
flowerpicking
flowerpiece
flowerpiercer
flower power
flower service
flower-smoke
flower stem
flower sticks
flower-strewn
flower-sweet
flower wall
flower water
flower weevil
foamflower
four-o'clock flower
four o'clock flower
frost flower
gallflower
gall flower
ghostflower
gilli-flower
gilly-flower
globeflower
handflower
honey flower
hothouse flower
incomplete flower
Indian trumpet flower
in flower
inside-out flower
in the flower of one's youth
Joseph's flower
July-flower
laceflower
lantern flower
largeflower
leopard flower
luxuriant flower
mayflower
mistflower
moccasin flower
monkeyflower
monkey-flower
moonflower
muskflower
nanoflower
noonflower
noon-flower
orange flower water
overflower
pagoda flower
paperflower
paper flower
paschal flower
pasque flower
Passionflower
Passion flower
passion-flower
passion flower
Paul Allen's flower fly
peacock flower
pelican flower
pencil flower
pineapple flower
pinkster flower
pinwheel flower
polyflower
pompon flower
popcorn flower
porcupine flower
preflower
prickly chaff flower
princess flower
printers' flower
prison flower
pseudoflower
red cardinal flower
Redflower
red flower
red princess flower
reflower
revolver flower
rice flower
Rogation-flower
satinflower
savanna flower
savannah flower
shellflower
shoe flower
side-saddle flower
skeleton flower
skyflower
sleep-flower
sleep flower
slipper flower
snailflower
spider flower
spoonflower
spurflower
starfish flower
starflower
state flower
strawflower
sulphurflower
tiger flower
treasure flower
trigger flower
troll-flower
trumpet flower
Tudor flower
tumbling flower beetle
twinflower
unflower
united flower
upflower
velvet flower
Venus' flower basket
Venus's flower basket
wall flower
wallflower
wall-flower
wax flower
waxflower
windflower
wishbone flower
wood-shaving flower
flowering ash
flowering desert
flowering dogwood
flowering plant
flowering rush
flowering tea
night-flowering jasmine
aflower
corpse flower
flowerbed
flower girl
flowerpot
flowery
passionflower
sunflower
wild flower
wildflower
Translations: