flourish

C1 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈflɐɹ.ɪ̟ʃ/ UK /ˈflʌɹ.ɪʃ/ See IPA manual

noun verb Freq #13331

Meanings

1

verb
To grow or develop strongly and successfully.

The business flourished after it moved online.
2

verb
To wave something around with a big, showy movement.

She flourished the winning ticket above her head.
3

noun
A bold, showy gesture or detail meant to draw attention.

The magician finished the trick with a dramatic flourish.
4

noun
A short, lively burst of music, often on trumpets.

The king entered to a flourish of trumpets.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to grow or develop strongly... thrive prosper

4 noun · a short, lively burst of... fanfare

Word family

Forms flourishedflourishesflourishing

Derived forms flourishableflourisherflourishlyflourishmentflourishyoutflourishoverflourishreflourishunflourished

Etymology

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.

*bʰleh₃- Proto-Indo-European floryschen Middle English florir Old French florio la-lat floreo Latin flos Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Art & Music Word Formation & Derivatives

# flourish

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** ˈflɐɹ.ɪ̟ʃ
**IPA (UK):** ˈflʌɹ.ɪʃ
**Frequency rank:** 13331

## Meanings
1. To grow or develop strongly and successfully.
2. To wave something around with a big, showy movement.
3. A bold, showy gesture or detail meant to draw attention.
4. A short, lively burst of music, often on trumpets.

## Examples
- The business flourished after it moved online.
- She flourished the winning ticket above her head.
- The magician finished the trick with a dramatic flourish.
- The king entered to a flourish of trumpets.

## Derived Forms
- flourishable
- flourisher
- flourishly
- flourishment
- flourishy
- outflourish
- overflourish
- reflourish
- unflourished

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *bʰleh₃-
- Root: floryschen
- Root: florir
- Root: florio
- Root: floreo
- Root: flos

## Etymology
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.

## AI Etymology
Flourish is 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. The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern nominal form is built from the named base and affix. In present-day use, it can mean to grow or develop strongly and successfully, or to wave something around with a big, showy movement. Derived formations include flourishable, flourisher, flourishly, flourishment, flourishy.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Art & Music
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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flourish

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