flower

[ flou-er ]

/ ˈflaʊ ər /

SEE 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

SYNONYMS FOR flower

13 develop, flourish, bloom, blossom, ripen.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR flower ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM flower

re·flow·er, verb

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH flower

flour flower

Words nearby flower

flow country, flow sheet, flow-on, flowage, flowback, flower, flower beetle, flower box, flower bud, flower bug, flower child

Example sentences from the Web for 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 |DAILY BEAST
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 |DAILY BEAST
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 |DAILY BEAST
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 |DAILY BEAST

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 |DAILY BEAST
But the birds are not as helpless as the flowers, and are able to make their own nests.

Confidences |Edith B. Lowry
I forgot my flowers, walked in slowly and sadly and carried in two lanterns to store in the shed chamber.

Adopting An Abandoned Farm |Kate Sanborn
There were grassy stretches and slopes, great trees, and terraces covered with tangled masses of vines and flowers.

The Squirrel Inn |Frank R. Stockton
I say, you must be very fond of flowers to look at them so long, as if you wanted to kiss them!

The Flower Girl of The Chteau d'Eau, v.1 (Novels of Paul de Kock Volume XV) |Charles Paul de Kock
It seemed a sweet little yard, smelling of newly cut grass and flowers.

Across the Fruited Plain |Florence Crannell Means

British Dictionary definitions for flowers

flower

/ (ˈflaʊə) /

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 pollination Related adjective: floral Related prefix: antho-

any similar reproductive structure in other plants

the prime; peak in the flower of his youth

the choice or finest product, part, or representative the 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 sublimation flowers 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 forms of flower

flower-like, adjective

Word Origin for flower

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

Medical definitions for flowers

flowers

[ flou′ərz ]

pl.n.

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

Scientific definitions for flowers

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.

Cultural definitions for flowers

flower

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

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

flower