flourishes

1. 1
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present indicative of flourish.

   This orchid flourishes in humid, shaded conditions near the window.

   A community flourishes when its members trust and support one another.

   Note

   The -es ending marks a singular subject in the present tense: the orchid flourishes, but the orchids flourish. Most uses take no object, as when a garden or a business flourishes. It can also take one, as when someone flourishes a sword or a banner, making bold, sweeping movements with it. The same spelling is also the plural noun, so the grammar of the sentence tells them apart.

2. 2
   noun

   Plural of flourish.

   The calligrapher's signature ended with several elaborate flourishes.

   Trumpet flourishes announced the arrival of the visiting dignitaries.

   Note

   As a countable noun it covers four kinds of thing: dramatic gestures, ornaments, ceremonious passages such as fanfares, and decorative touches on buildings. The plural is common because such ornament tends to come in series, like the loops of a signature or the trumpet calls before an entrance. Like other nouns ending in -sh, it adds -es rather than a bare -s.

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