flourish

flourish
flourish (v.) c.1300, "to blossom, grow," from O.Fr. floriss-, stem of florir "blossom, flower, bloom, flourish," from L. florere "to bloom, blossom, flower," figuratively "to flourish, be prosperous," from flos "a flower" (see FLORA (Cf. flora)). Metaphoric sense of "thrive" is mid-14c. Meaning "to brandish (a weapon)" first attested late 14c. Related: Flourished; flourishing. The noun is from c.1500, "a blossom;" meaning "ostentatious waving of a weapon" is from 1550s; that of "literary or rhetorical embellishment" is from c.1600.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?
Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Flourish — Flour ish, n.; pl. {Flourishes}. 1. A flourishing condition; prosperity; vigor. [Archaic] [1913 Webster] The Roman monarchy, in her highest flourish, never had the like. Howell. [1913 Webster] 2. Decoration; ornament; beauty. [1913 Webster] The… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Flourish — Flour ish, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Flourished}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Flourishing}.] [OE. florisshen, flurisshen, OF. flurir, F. fleurir, fr. L. florere to bloom, fr. flos, floris, flower. See {Flower}, and { ish}.] 1. To grow luxuriantly; to increase… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • flourish — [n] curlicue, decoration curl, embellishment, furbelow, garnish, ornamentation, plume, quirk, spiral, sweep, twist; concepts 259,284 flourish [v1] grow, prosper amplify, arrive, augment, batten, bear fruit, be on top of heap*, bloom, blossom,… …   New thesaurus

  • Flourish — Flour ish, v. t. 1. To adorn with flowers orbeautiful figures, either natural or artificial; to ornament with anything showy; to embellish. [Obs.] Fenton. [1913 Webster] 2. To embellish with the flowers of diction; to adorn with rhetorical… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • flourish — flour‧ish [ˈflʌrɪʆ ǁ ˈflɜːr ] verb [intransitive] if a business or industry flourishes, it is very successful and makes a profit: • The economy is booming and many small businesses are flourishing. * * * flourish UK US /ˈflʌrɪʃ/ verb [I] ► to be… …   Financial and business terms

  • flourish — index brandish, display, flaunt, gain, germinate, increase, pretense (ostentation), proliferate …   Law dictionary

  • flourish — vb 1 *succeed, prosper, thrive Analogous words: bloom, flower, *blossom, blow: increase, augment, multiply: *expand, amplify Antonyms: languish Contrasted words: *wither, shrivel: shrink, Contract: ebb, * …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • flourish — ► VERB 1) grow or develop in a healthy or vigorous way. 2) be working or at the height of one s career during a specified period. 3) wave about dramatically. ► NOUN 1) a bold or extravagant gesture or action. 2) an ornamental flowing curve in… …   English terms dictionary

  • flourish — [flʉr′ish] vi. [ME florishen < extended stem of OFr florir, to blossom < LL * florire < L florere < flos, FLOWER] 1. Obs. to blossom 2. to grow vigorously; succeed; thrive; prosper 3. to be at the peak of development, activity,… …   English World dictionary

  • flourish — 01. Business has [flourished] since we started advertising on the Internet. 02. Victoria is quickly becoming a [flourishing] center for bicycle tourism. 03. Our roses are really [flourishing] in this nice weather. 04. The actress threw her scarf… …   Grammatical examples in English

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”