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flower

Syllabification: (flow·er)

Pronunciation: /ˈflou(-ə)r/

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Definition of flower

noun

1the seed-bearing part of a plant, consisting of reproductive organs (stamens and carpels) that are typically surrounded by a brightly colored corolla (petals) and a green calyx (sepals).
a brightly colored and conspicuous example of the flower of a plant together with its stalk, typically used with others as a decoration or gift:I stopped to buy Bridget some flowers
the state or period in which a plant’s flowers have developed and opened:the roses were just coming into flower

2 (the flower of) the finest individuals out of a number of people or things:the flower of college track athletes
the period of optimum development:a young policeman in the flower of his life gunned down

verb

[no object]

1(of a plant) produce flowers; bloom:these daisies can flower as late as October
[with object] induce (a plant) to produce flowers.

2be in or reach an optimum stage of development; develop fully and richly:it is there that the theory of deconstruction has flowered most extravagantly (as noun flowering)the flowering of Viennese intellectual life

Derivatives

flowerless
flowerlike

Origin:

Middle English flour, from Old French flour, flor, from Latin flos, flor-. The original spelling was no longer in use by the late 17th century except in its specialized sense 'ground grain' (see flour)

flower in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of flower in the British & World English dictionary

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Other

flower

noun

verb

Derivatives

flowerless

flowerlike

Origin:

flower in other Oxford dictionaries

Nearby words

More results for flower

More words in this category

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