flora
1 Americannoun
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the plants of a particular region or period, listed by species and considered as a whole.
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a work systematically describing such plants.
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plants, as distinguished from fauna.
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the aggregate of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms normally occurring on or in the bodies of humans and other animals.
intestinal flora.
noun
noun
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all the plant life of a given place or time
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a descriptive list of such plants, often including a key for identification
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short for intestinal flora
noun
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The plants of a particular region or time period.
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The bacteria and other microorganisms that normally inhabit a bodily organ or part, such as the intestine.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of flora
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”
Explanation
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.
Vocabulary lists containing flora
Physical Geography - Introductory
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First-Name Basis: Words That Are Also Names
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Physical Geography - Middle School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Attenborough approached the conservation charity Flora and Fauna, who set up the Mountain Gorilla Project to help protect the animals.
From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026
Most international frameworks governing wildlife trade, including the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES, were designed primarily to protect species from overexploitation, according to Gore.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026
"We came here to support him, but the Congolese people are suffering. What we want is work," says Flora Kouka, a nurse.
From Barron's • Feb. 28, 2026
Weber Wong, founder and CEO of Flora, said the 33-person startup isn’t thinking about “how many heads can we bring onto the team,” but rather how AI agents can supercharge experienced employees.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 23, 2026
Dr. Meescham went into the kitchen, and Flora turned and looked at the couch.
From "Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures" by Kate DiCamillo
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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.