flower

[flou-er]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR flower ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the blossom of a plant.

Botany.

the part of a seed plant comprising the reproductive organs and their envelopes if any, especially when such envelopes are more or less conspicuous in form and color.
an analogous reproductive structure in other plants, as the mosses.

a plant, considered with reference to its blossom or cultivated for its floral beauty.

state of efflorescence or bloom: Peonies were in flower.

an ornament representing a flower.

Also called fleuron, floret. Printing. an ornamental piece of type, especially a stylized floral design, often used in a line to decorate chapter headings, page borders, or bindings.

an ornament or adornment.

the finest or most flourishing period: Poetic drama was in flower in Elizabethan England.

the best or finest member or part of a number, body, or whole: the flower of American youth.

the finest or choicest product or example.

flowers, (used with a singular verb) Chemistry. a substance in the form of a fine powder, especially as obtained by sublimation: flowers of sulfur.

verb (used without object)

to produce flowers; blossom; come to full bloom.

to come out into full development; mature.

verb (used with object)

to cover or deck with flowers.

to decorate with a floral design.

Origin of flower

1150–1200; Middle English flour flower, best of anything < Old French flor, flour, flur < Latin flōr- (stem of flōs). Cf. blossom

Related formsre·flow·er, verb

Can be confusedflour flower

Synonyms for flower

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR flower ON THESAURUS.COM

13. develop, flourish, bloom, blossom, ripen.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for flowers

blossom, vine, perennial, herb, prosper, mature, unfold, burgeon, thrive, shoot, head, annual, efflorescence, posy, cluster, spray, floret, spike, bud, pompon

Examples from the Web for flowers

Contemporary Examples of flowers

Then he came to Rome last week with the flowers in his hand.
Pope-Shooter Ali Agca’s Very Weird Vatican Visit
Barbie Latza Nadeau
December 29, 2014
He gazed at the flowers and the flickering candles, clearly moved.
'Please Don't Die!': The Frantic Battle to Save Murdered Cops
Michael Daly
December 22, 2014
The girls ran in the same circle (Palmolive was also in the Flowers of Romance) and the group was looking for a guitarist.
A First Lady of Punk Rock Talks
Justin Jones
December 9, 2014
The flowers and leaves of this herb are used to make medications and the supplement is popularly used for depression.
Fish Oil, Turmeric, and Ginseng, Oh My! Are ‘Brain Foods’ B.S.?
Dr. Anand Veeravagu, MD
October 10, 2014
He loved planting unusual trees, shrubs, and flowers throughout the grounds, and carefully directed where each specimen would go.
When Gary Wright Met George Harrison: Dream Weaver, John and Yoko, and More
Gary Wright
September 29, 2014

Historical Examples of flowers

Paralus ever lived in affectionate communion with the birds and the flowers.
Philothea
Lydia Maria Child
A bee entered one of the chambers with a prophecy of flowers.
Buds and Bird Voices (From "Mosses From An Old Manse")
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Her mother took the bunch of flowers out of her hand and looked at it.
Life and Death of Harriett Frean
May Sinclair
I think it very doubtful whether the boy lives who does not like flowers.
Ester Ried Yet Speaking
Isabella Alden
It was all very well for those two to enjoy her flowers; of course they would.
Ester Ried Yet Speaking
Isabella Alden

British Dictionary definitions for flowers

flower

noun

a bloom or blossom on a plant
a plant that bears blooms or blossoms

the reproductive structure of angiosperm plants, consisting normally of stamens and carpels surrounded by petals and sepals all borne on the receptacle (one or more of these structures may be absent). In some plants it is conspicuous and brightly coloured and attracts insects or other animals for pollinationRelated adjective: floral Related prefix: antho-

any similar reproductive structure in other plants

the prime; peakin the flower of his youth

the choice or finest product, part, or representativethe flower of the young men

a decoration or embellishment

printing a type ornament, used with others in borders, chapter headings, etc

Also called: fleuron an embellishment or ornamental symbol depicting a flower

(plural) fine powder, usually produced by sublimationflowers of sulphur

verb

(intr) to produce flowers; bloom

(intr) to reach full growth or maturity

(tr) to deck or decorate with flowers or floral designs

Derived Formsflower-like, adjective

Word Origin for flower

C13: from Old French flor, from Latin flōs; see blow ³

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for flowers

flower

c.1200, "be vigorous, prosper, thrive," from flower (n.). Of a plant or bud, "to blossom," c.1300. Related: Flowered; flowering.

flower

c.1200, from Old French flor "flower, blossom; heyday, prime; fine flour; elite; innocence, virginity" (Modern French fleur), from Latin florem (nominative flos) "flower" (source of Italian fiore, Spanish flor; see flora).

Modern spelling is 14c. Ousted Old English cognate blostm (see blossom (n.)). Also used from 13c. in sense of "finest part or product of anything" and from c.1300 in the sense of "virginity." Flower children "gentle hippies" is from 1967.

flowers in Medicine

flowers

[flou′ərz]

pl.n.

A fine powder produced by condensation or sublimation of a compound.

flowers in Science

flower

[flou′ər]

The reproductive structure of the seed-bearing plants known as angiosperms. A flower may contain up to four whorls or arrangements of parts: carpels, stamens, petals, and sepals. The female reproductive organs consist of one or more carpels. Each carpel includes an ovary, style, and stigma. A single carpel or a group of fused carpels is sometimes called a pistil. The male reproductive parts are the stamens, made up of a filament and anther. The reproductive organs may be enclosed in an inner whorl of petals and an outer whorl of sepals. Flowers first appeared over 120 million years ago and have evolved a great diversity of forms and coloration in response to the agents that pollinate them. Some flowers produce nectar to attract animal pollinators, and these flowers are often highly adapted to specific groups of pollinators. Flowers pollinated by moths, such as species of jasmine and nicotiana, are often pale and fragrant in order to be found in the evening, while those pollinated by birds, such as fuschias, are frequently red and odorless, since birds have good vision but a less developed sense of smell. Wind-pollinated flowers, such as those of oak trees or grass, are usually drab and inconspicuous. See Note at pollination.

flowers in Culture

flower

The part of a plant that produces the seed. It usually contains petals, a pistil, and pollen-bearing stamens.