# flourish

Pronunciation: say "FLUR-ish" US/UK /ˈflʌɹ.ɪʃ/, AUS /ˈflɐɹ.ɪʃ/

## Verb

1. To grow strongly and in good health; to thrive.
   - Simple: To grow well and stay strong and healthy.
   - _Coral reefs flourish in warm, shallow waters with plenty of sunlight._
   - _The young company flourished once it found a loyal market._
2. To prosper; to do well in one's affairs or circumstances.
   - Simple: To do well and become successful.
   - _Families flourish when they have stable work and good schools._
   - _The trading port flourished for centuries along the spice route._
3. To make bold, sweeping movements with something held in the hand.
   - Simple: To wave something around with big, bold movements.
   - _The conductor flourished his baton to bring in the brass._
   - _Magicians flourish a silk handkerchief to distract the audience._
6. To cause to develop, thrive, or expand.
   - Simple: To help something grow well and get bigger.
   - _Wise investment can flourish a modest business within a few years._
   - _The mild climate flourished the colony's farms for generations._
7. To be in the period when one's influence is at its greatest.
   - Simple: To be at the most successful or important time of one's life or work.
   - _Scholars disagree about when the movement began to flourish, but its influence clearly peaked in the 1920s._
   - _The composer flourished during the height of the Romantic era._
8. To move in a bold, sweeping, showy manner, as a display of ornament or bravado.
   - Simple: To move in a big, showy way to get attention.
   - _The fencers flourish and feint before the bout truly begins._
   - _Banners flourished in the wind above the marching parade._
9. To adorn or embellish with showy figures, ornament, or rhetoric.
   - Simple: To decorate something with fancy designs or words.
   - _The scribe flourished the manuscript's margins with intricate gold patterns._
   - _Speakers often flourish their arguments with vivid metaphors._
11. To add decorative, looping strokes when writing, producing graceful penmanship figures.
   - Simple: To make fancy, looping marks when writing by hand.
   - _The clerk flourished elaborately beneath the closing signature._
   - _Old copybooks taught students to flourish between the lines._
12. To play a free, ornamental strain of music, as a prelude or decorative interlude.
   - Simple: To play a short, fancy bit of music as a start or decoration.
   - _The organist flourished briefly before settling into the hymn._
   - _Heralds flourish on their horns as the procession appears._
14. To speak or write in an ornate, florid style, dwelling on lofty expressions and rhetorical figures.
   - Simple: To speak or write in a fancy, showy way.
   - _The preacher flourished at length about the glories of the age._
   - _Victorian essayists tend to flourish where a plain sentence would do._

## Noun

4. A showy, dramatic gesture, such as a sweeping wave of the hand or a flag.
   - Simple: A big, showy movement, like waving a flag or your hand.
   - _With a flourish, the magician pulled the rabbit from the hat._
   - _The waiter presented the dish with a theatrical flourish._
5. A decorative addition or embellishment.
   - Simple: An added decoration that makes something look fancier.
   - _The designer's signature is a curling flourish in each corner._
   - _Her handwriting is full of loops and flourishes._
10. A short, ceremonious musical passage, such as a trumpet fanfare.
   - Simple: A short, grand piece of music, like a fanfare.
   - _The orchestra opened with a brassy flourish before the anthem._
   - _Each royal entrance was marked by a flourish from the heralds._
13. A decorative embellishment on a building, such as a carved or molded ornament.
   - Simple: A fancy decoration added to a building.
   - _Baroque facades are covered in scrolling stone flourishes._
   - _A gilded flourish crowns the cathedral's main portal._

## Verb

15. To wave or brandish a weapon in a bold, threatening manner. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: To wave a weapon around boldly in the air.
   - _The duelist flourished his rapier before the first pass._
   - _Riders flourish their swords to rally the troops._
16. To boast or brag; to vaunt one's own deeds or qualities. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To brag and show off about yourself.
   - _The young soldier flourished about his courage before he had ever seen battle._
   - _Men who flourish loudest in the tavern often fight the least._

## Origin

From Middle English floryschen, from Old French florir, going back through Late Latin flōrīre to Latin flōrēre and flōrem ("flower"). It corresponds to flower plus the suffix -ish.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/flourish (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).