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Flourish

//ˈflʌɹ.ɪʃ// noun, verb

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A dramatic gesture such as the waving of a flag.

    "With many flourishes of the captured banner, they marched down the avenue."

  2. 2
    (music) a short lively tune played on brass instruments wordnet
  3. 3
    An ornamentation.

    "His signature ended with a flourish."

  4. 4
    the act of waving wordnet
  5. 5
    A ceremonious passage such as a fanfare.

    "The trumpets blew a flourish as they entered the church."

Show 4 more definitions
  1. 6
    a display of ornamental speech or language wordnet
  2. 7
    A decorative embellishment on a building.
  3. 8
    a showy gesture wordnet
  4. 9
    an ornamental embellishment in writing wordnet
Verb
  1. 1
    To thrive or grow well. intransitive

    "The barley flourished in the warm weather."

  2. 2
    grow vigorously wordnet
  3. 3
    To prosper or fare well. intransitive

    "The town flourished with the coming of the railway."

  4. 4
    move or swing back and forth wordnet
  5. 5
    To be in a period of greatest influence. intransitive

    "His writing flourished before the war."

Show 10 more definitions
  1. 6
    make steady progress; be at the high point in one's career or reach a high point in historical significance or importance wordnet
  2. 7
    To develop; to make thrive; to expand. transitive

    "But all that I ſhall ſay in this vvhole Argument, vvill be but like Bottomes of Thred, cloſe vvound vp, vvhich vvith a good Needle (perhaps) may be flouriſhed into large VVorkes."

  3. 8
    To make bold, sweeping movements with. transitive

    "They flourished the banner as they stormed the palace."

  4. 9
    To make bold and sweeping, fanciful, or wanton movements, by way of ornament, parade, bravado, etc.; to play with fantastic and irregular motion. intransitive

    "Impetuous spread the stream, and smoking flourished o'er his head."

  5. 10
    To use florid language; to indulge in rhetorical figures and lofty expressions. intransitive

    "They dilate […] and flourish long upon little incidents."

  6. 11
    To make ornamental strokes with the pen; to write graceful, decorative figures. intransitive
  7. 12
    To adorn with beautiful figures or rhetoric; to ornament with anything showy; to embellish. transitive

    "With shadowy verdure flourish'd high, A sudden youth the groves enjoy."

  8. 13
    To execute an irregular or fanciful strain of music, by way of ornament or prelude. intransitive

    "Why do the emperor's trumpets flourish thus?"

  9. 14
    To boast; to vaunt; to brag. intransitive, obsolete
  10. 15
    To brandish (a weapon). archaic, transitive

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English floryschen, from Old French florir (via the arrhizotonic stem floriss-), from Late Latin flōrīre, from Latin flōrēre, from Latin flōrem (“flower”, noun). Corresponds to flower + -ish.

Etymology 2

From Middle English floryschen, from Old French florir (via the arrhizotonic stem floriss-), from Late Latin flōrīre, from Latin flōrēre, from Latin flōrem (“flower”, noun). Corresponds to flower + -ish.

See also for "flourish"

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