the plants of a particular region or period, listed by species and considered as a whole.
a work systematically describing such plants.
plants, as distinguished from fauna.
the aggregate of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms normally occurring on or in the bodies of humans and other animals.
intestinal flora.
all the plant life of a given place or time
a descriptive list of such plants, often including a key for identification
short for intestinal flora
The plants of a particular region or time period.
The bacteria and other microorganisms that normally inhabit a bodily organ or part, such as the intestine.
First recorded in 1655–65; from New Latin, Latin Flōra the Roman goddess of flowers (used from the 17th century in the titles of botanical works), derivative of Latin flōr- (stem of flōs ) “flower”
The flora of a particular area consists of its plant species, considered as a whole. The word also refers to the plant life of a particular era — for example, fossilized plants can help us determine the flora at the time of dinosaurs. The use of the word flora as referring to a particular area's vegetation has been used by botanists since the 1640s, but it became common with Swedish botanist Linnaeus, who in 1745 wrote "Flora Suecica," a study of the plant life of Sweden. The word was a natural fit, as Flōra was the name of the Roman goddess of flowers. When scientists study a region's flora, they classify their findings and create a descriptive list, which is also called a flora.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The county, local agencies, utilities and property owners are in a constant battle with the flora and fauna just beyond fencelines and backyards.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
The Channel Islands, an archipelago that includes three additional islands outside the park, are nicknamed the “Galapagos of North America” for the flora and fauna found only there.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026
Among other items is a display showing the 13 species of flora and fauna named after Obama.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026
The government insists it has met all "green" requirements and has pledged to protect Great Nicobar's peoples, communities, as well as its unique flora and fauna, by establishing protected zones.
From Barron's ● May 18, 2026
Many of the entries in the brief, perplexing diary recovered with the body were terse observations of flora and fauna, which fueled speculation that McCandless was a field biologist.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
First pitcher selected in this year’s draft: Jackson Flora of UC Santa Barbara, taken fourth overall by the San Francisco Giants.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026
"It was cheaper to go for a hire car than to do transfer costs from the airport for four people," says Flora.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
Smart glasses have been slowly growing in usage, but the category overall faces several barriers to mainstream adoption, said Flora Tang, principal analyst at Counterpoint Research.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 27, 2026
But the wind-up alarm clock won’t disappear entirely, says Bill Stoddard, who repairs and sells clocks at his shop in Flora, Ind. After all, he points out, “the Amish people buy clocks.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
His wife, Flora, intervened; the baby became Roy.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
Of the 1,000 or so species of floras in the park, lodgepole pine and the duff from its fallen needles and branches provided most of the fuel for the fires.
From Time Magazine Archive
On the whole, there seems to be less difference between the floras of Arctic and temperate latitudes in Upper Cretaceous than in Miocene times.
From Island Life Or the Phenomena and Causes of Insular Faunas and Floras by Wallace, Alfred Russel
Carrying with us this twofold division of the vegetable kingdom and its subdivisions, we shall be prepared to understand the relation of the more ancient floras to that now living.
From The Chain of Life in Geological Time A Sketch of the Origin and Succession of Animals and Plants by Dawson, Sir J. William
Everywhere we have abundant floras and faunas indicating warmer conditions than such as now prevail, but never in a single instance one which as clearly indicates colder conditions.
From Island Life Or the Phenomena and Causes of Insular Faunas and Floras by Wallace, Alfred Russel
Sir Joseph Hooker also doubts the generally greater richness of tropical over temperate floras which I have taken as almost an axiom.
From Island Life Or the Phenomena and Causes of Insular Faunas and Floras by Wallace, Alfred Russel
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
