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Added 1 October 2026

flourish

/ˈflʌɹ.ɪʃ/ verb

In Latin: vigeō, floreō Wiktionary

verb Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about flourish at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

To thrive or grow well.
The barley flourished in the warm weather.
To prosper or fare well.
The town flourished with the coming of the railway.
To be in a period of greatest influence.
His writing flourished before the war.

noun

A dramatic gesture such as the waving of a flag.
With many flourishes of the captured banner, they marched down the avenue.
An ornamentation.
His signature ended with a flourish.
A ceremonious passage such as a fanfare.
The trumpets blew a flourish as they entered the church.

Origin

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.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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