flourish

 
Pronunciation: /ˈflʌrɪʃ/

verb

  • 1 [no object] (of a living organism) grow or develop in a healthy or vigorous way, especially as the result of a particularly congenial environment: wild plants flourish on the banks of the lake
  • develop rapidly and successfully: the organization has continued to flourish
  • [with adverbial] be working or at the height of one’s career during a specified period: the caricaturist and wit who flourished in the early years of this century
  • 2 [with object] wave (something) about to attract attention: ‘Happy New Year!’ he yelled, flourishing a bottle of whisky

noun

  • 1a bold or extravagant gesture or action, made especially to attract attention: with a flourish, she ushered them inside
  • an elaborate rhetorical or literary expression.
  • an ornamental flowing curve in handwriting or scrollwork: letters with an emphatic flourish beneath them
  • 2an impressive and successful act or period: United produced a late second-half flourish
  • 3 Music a fanfare played by brass instruments: a flourish of trumpets
  • an ornate musical passage.
  • an extemporized addition played especially at the beginning or end of a composition.

Derivatives

flourisher

noun

Origin:

Middle English: from Old French floriss-, lengthened stem of florir, based on Latin florere, from flos, flor- 'a flower'. The noun senses 'ornamental curve' and 'florid expression' come from an obsolete sense of the verb, 'adorn' (originally with flowers)