entry
flourish
/ˈflʌrɪʃ/to bloom, prosper, or wave showily
From Latin flor / flōr- (flower) + Proto-Indo-European *bhel- (to thrive).
from Latin flōrem (“flower”, noun). Corresponds to flower + -ish. === Pronunciation === (without the hurry–furry...
from Latin florere "to bloom, blossom, flower," figuratively "to be prosperous,"
+1 more sourcefrom Old French florir (via the arrhizotonic stem floriss-)
from Old French floriss- , stem of florir "to blossom, flower, bloom; prosper,"
+1 more sourcefrom PIE root *bhel- (3) "to thrive, bloom"). The metaphoric sense of "thrive" in English is attested by mid-14c. The...
from Latin florere "to bloom, blossom, flower," figuratively "to be prosperous,"
+1 more sourcefrom Old French floriss- , stem of florir "to blossom, flower, bloom; prosper,"
from Middle English floryschen
Word Ancestry
from Latin flōrem (“flower”, noun). Corresponds to flower + -ish. === Pronunciation === (without the hurry–furry...
from Latin florere "to bloom, blossom, flower," figuratively "to be prosperous,"
+1 more sourcefrom Old French florir (via the arrhizotonic stem floriss-)
from Old French floriss- , stem of florir "to blossom, flower, bloom; prosper,"
+1 more sourcefrom PIE root *bhel- (3) "to thrive, bloom"). The metaphoric sense of "thrive" in English is attested by mid-14c. The...
from Latin florere "to bloom, blossom, flower," figuratively "to be prosperous,"
+1 more sourcefrom Old French floriss- , stem of florir "to blossom, flower, bloom; prosper,"
from Middle English floryschen
A flower and a fanfare are closer cousins than they look. Medieval English borrowed the blossom word from Old French floriss-, and at first it meant exactly what you’d expect: a plant opening up, or a person doing equally well in life. Then English did something very English and turned a botanical verb into a theatrical one, so by the late 1300s you could flourish a sword or a banner with the kind of grand, sweeping motion that says, look at me. That showy sense fits the family perfectly: same root as flower, same old idea of something opening, expanding, and being impossible to ignore. Even the related word floruit, used in biographies for someone’s peak years, feels like a little verbal bouquet pinned to the lapel of history.
The Story
A flower and a fanfare are closer cousins than they look. Medieval English borrowed the blossom word from Old French floriss-, and at first it meant exactly what you’d expect: a plant opening up, or a person doing equally well in life. Then English did something very English and turned a botanical verb into a theatrical one, so by the late 1300s you could flourish a sword or a banner with the kind of grand, sweeping motion that says, look at me. That showy sense fits the family perfectly: same root as flower, same old idea of something opening, expanding, and being impossible to ignore. Even the related word floruit, used in biographies for someone’s peak years, feels like a little verbal bouquet pinned to the lapel of history.
Kin & Kindred
From 'flor / flōr-'·flower; bloom; blossom
Derived Terms
English words from this root
From '*bhel-'·to thrive, bloom
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Free Dictionary
Urban Dictionary