flourish

views updated Jun 11 2018

flour·ish / ˈflərish/ • v. 1. [intr.] (of a person, animal, or other living organism) grow or develop in a healthy or vigorous way, esp. as the result of a particularly favorable environment: wild plants flourish on the banks of the lake. ∎  develop rapidly and successfully: the organization has continued to flourish. ∎  (of a person) be working or at the height of one's career during a specified period: the caricaturist and wit who flourished in the early years of this century.2. [tr.] (of a person) wave (something) around to attract the attention of others: “Happy New Year!” he yelled, flourishing a bottle of whiskey.• n. 1. a bold or extravagant gesture or action, made esp. to attract the attention of others: with a flourish, she ushered them inside. ∎  an instance of suddenly performing or developing in an impressively successful way: the Bulldogs produced a late second-half flourish. ∎  an elaborate rhetorical or literary expression. ∎  an ornamental flowing curve in handwriting or scrollwork: spiky gothic letters with an emphatic flourish beneath them.2. Mus. a fanfare played by brass instruments: a flourish of trumpets. ∎  an ornate musical passage. ∎  an improvised addition played esp. at the beginning or end of a composition.DERIVATIVES: flour·ish·er n.ORIGIN: Middle English: from Old French floriss-, lengthened stem of florir, based on Latin florere, from flos, flor- ‘a flower.’ The noun senses ‘ornamental curve’ and ‘florid expression’ come from an obsolete sense of the verb, ‘adorn’ (originally with flowers).

flourish

views updated Jun 27 2018

flourish
A. †blossom, flower XIII; thrive XIV; be in the prime XIV;

B. †adorn, embellish XIII;

C. †display, parade; brandish XIV; brag, swagger XVI. — (O)F. floriss-, lengthened stem (see -ISH2) of florir (mod. fleurir) :- Rom. *flōrīre, for L. flōrēre, f. flōr- FLOWER.
Hence sb. A. (dial.) mass of bloom; †vigour, prime XVI; B. embellishment XVII; C. brandishing of a weapon; fanfare XVI.

Flourish

views updated May 17 2018

Flourish ★★ 2006 (PG-13)

Desperate for cash, Gaby (Morrison) agrees to babysit precocious 16-year-old Lucy (Meester), who soon disappears from the house. Now Gaby spends an increasingly wild night, running into lots of very strange people, trying to find Lucy before her parents get home. 95m/C DVD . Jenny (Jennifer) Morrison, Leighton Meester, Jesse Spencer, Connie Ray, Daniel Roebuck, Olivia Burnette; D: Kevin Palys; W: Kevin Palys; C: Maximilian Gutierrez; M: Luigi Pittorino, Melinda Doring.

Flourish

views updated Jun 11 2018

Flourish

of strumpets: a company of prostitutesLipton, 1970

flourish

views updated May 21 2018

flourish.
1. A tpt. call of the fanfare type.

2. In a more general sense any florid instr. passage.