Forms: 4–7 flour(e, 5–7 flowr, (5 flore), 6– flower. [f. prec. sb. Cf. OF. florir (mod.F. fleurir), L. flōrēre.]
1. intr. To bloom or blossom; to come into bloom, produce flowers. Of a flower: To expand, open.
c. 1300. K. Alis., 2004. Þe medes floureþ, þe foules syngeþ.
13[?]. E. E. Allit. P., A. 270.
| A rose, | |
| Þat flowred and fayled as kynd hit gef. |
1393. Gower, Conf., II. 266.
| A drie braunche hem with to stere, | |
| The which anon gan floure and bere. |
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 168/1. Flowryn.
1578. Lyte, Dodoens, V. lxxx. 651. The vine flowreth in high and base Germanie … about the beginning of June.
1672. Grew, Anat. Plants, Idea Philos. Hist. (1682), § 14. The Principles of such Plants, which flower all the Year, may be more equally proportion’d.
1712. Addison, Spect., No. 418, 30 June, ¶ 8. His Rose-trees, Wood-bines and Jessamines may flower together, and his Beds be cover’d at the same time with Lilies, Violets and Amaranths.
1842. N. B. Ward, Closely Glazed Cases, Plants, iii. (1852), 51. All these [plants] flowered well, but the atmosphere was too moist, and there was too little sun for them to ripen seed.
1873. Symonds, Grk. Poets, v. 128. Olive-groves and fountains, where the cyclamen and violet flowered with feathery maiden-hair.
b. fig. Also with out. † To flower off: (of reflections) to arise spontaneously in the treatment of a subject.
a. 1225. Ancr. R., 340. Mi vlesch is iflured & bicumen al neowe.
c. 1374. Chaucer, Anel. & Arc., 306. Your chere floureth, but hit wol not sede.
1642. H. More, Song of Soul, III. III. xxxviii. 1.
| Whose drooping phansie never flowred out, | |
| Who relish’d nought but this grosse bodies food. |
1644. Milton, Educ., Wks. (1738), I. 135. If you can accept of these few Observations which have flowr’d off.
a. 1846. Landor, Imag. Conv., Wks. 1846, II. 34/1. The thorny and bitter aloe of dissension required less than a century to flower on the steps of your temple.
1859. Hawthorne, Marb. Faun, xxxiv. (1883), 358. On another side of the square rose the mediæval front of the cathedral, where the imagination of a Gothic architect had long ago flowered out indestructibly.
1885. Clodd, Myths & Dr., II. i. 146. The germs of those capacities which, existing in a pre-human ancestry, have flowered in the noblest and wisest of our race.
c. trans. (causatively). To cause (a plant) to bloom; to bring into blossom or flower.
1850. Florist, March, 66. They winter better in the pots they were flowered in.
1887. Baring-Gould, Gold. Feather, xii. Azaleas which were … put under glass and flowered.
† 2. transf. Of beer and wine: a. To froth, mantle. Obs.
1382. Wyclif, Prov. xxiii. 31. Ne beholde thou the win, whan it floureth, whan shal shine in the verr the colour of it.
1530. Palsgr., 552/2. This ale floureth better in a good drinkers eye.
a. 1592. Greene & Lodge, Looking Glasse, Wks. (Rtldg.), 127/2. All Nineveh hath not such a cup of ale, it flowers in the cup, sir.
1694. Westmacott, Scripture Herbal, 22. It makes beer to mantle, flower, and smile at you.
1750. W. Ellis, Country Housewife’s Fam. Comp., 186. If a little Wheat-bran is boiled in our ordinary Beer, it will cause it to mantle or flower in the Cup, when it is poured out; which sheweth what a rich Spirit Wheat is endowed with, that so much remains in the Bran.
† b. To become turbid. Obs.
1682. Art & Myst. Vintners, IV. § 17. If you would keep it long, you must rack [Sack] into another Cask, and it will not then flower nor be ill-conditioned, for Milk will make it so.
† c. trans. To spice (wine). Obs.
1682. Art & Myst. Vintners, I. § 28. For to flower a Butt of Muscadine.
† 3. intr. To be in or attain the ‘flower’ or height of one’s beauty, fame, or prosperity (also with up); to prosper, be distinguished; to thrive or be distinguished in, of or with (a specified thing); to abound; = FLOURISH v. 3, 4. Obs.
1340. Ayenb., 28. Ase ine yere þet wel floureþ ine guode.
c. 1374. Chaucer, Boeth., V. pr. v. 131. Forto dwellen in hys Citee and flouren of rychesses.
c. 1430. Lydg., Bochas, 1. viii. (1544) 12 b.
| And while he floured in his worthines, | |
| He toke a wyfe of excellent fayrenes. Ibid., 1. iv. (1544) 8. And flourynge vp in her tender age | |
| This sayd Isis so pleasaunt was and mete. |
1494. Fabyan, Chron. V. cxl. § 125. In this tyme flowryd Harmefreditus.
1513. Bradshaw, St. Werburge, I. 327. This Redwalde had .ii. sones flourynge in chyualrye.
1531. Elyot, The Boke Named the Gouernour, I. xi. That noble clerke of Almaine, whiche late floured, called Agricola: whose warke prepareth inuention, tellynge the places, from whens an argumente, for the profe of any mater, maye be taken with lyttell studye.
† 4. trans. To adorn or cover with or as with flowers or a flower; to decorate; to serve as a decoration for. Also with over. Obs.
1577–8. Holinshed, Chron. (1808), IV. 870. He suppressed the rebellion of Shane Oneill, and floured the top of the castell of Dublin with the archrebels head.
1630. R. Johnson, Relations of the Most Famous Kingdoms, etc., 290. The Chambers are flowerd with coloured Marbles, and garnished round with Stags heads of extraordinarie greatnesse.
1645. Rutherford, Tryal & Tri. Faith (1845), 10–1. I know that Jesus Christ, who perfumeth and flowereth heaven with his royal presence, and streweth the heaven of heavens to its utmost borders with glory, is commended that he was full of grace, a vessel filled to the lip.
c. 1650. Robin Hood & Three Squires, 66, in Furniv., Percy Folio, I. 18.
| Thou shalt be the first Man | |
| shall flower this gallow tree. |
1791. W. Bartram, Carolina, 161. Its thick foliage, of a dark green colour, is flowered over with large milk-white fragrant blossoms, on long slender elastic penuncles.
5. To embellish with figures of flowers or a floral design; to work flowers upon.
16[?]. Young Tam Lane, iii. in Child, Ballads, II. (1884), 352/1.
| ‘Go saddle for me the black,’ says Janet, | |
| ‘Go saddle for me the brown, | |
| And I ’ll away to Carterhaugh, | |
| And flower mysell the gown. |
1699. Dampier, Voy., II. I. 61. The Pelongs and Gaws are of each sort either plain or flower’d very neatly.
1741. Richardson, Pamela (1824), I. xix. 30. Mrs. Jervis shewed my master the waistcoat I am flowering for him.
1838. Miss Mitford, Marion Campbell, in Tait’s Mag., V. March, 165/2. The form of a heather sprig suggested an apron that she was flowering to wear with the above-mentioned damask suit.
1857. Mrs. Carlyle, Lett., II. 337. Ann flowered me a most lovely collar.
transf. and fig. 1853. M. Arnold, Poems, Sohrab & Rustum.
| At cock-crow, on a starlit winter’s morn, | |
| When the frost flowers the whiten’d window-panes. |
1882. Blackmore, Christowell, I. iv. 37. Many sweet beauties of tempered clime flower the skirts of the desolate moor, and the sweetest of these is Christowell.
b. intr. Of silver alloyed for use as coin: To assume the appearance of being marked with figures of flowers. See FLOWERED ppl. a. 3 b.
1727. A. Hamilton, New Acc. E. Ind., II. xxxvi. 42. Rupee Silver, which has no Alloy in it, will bear twenty eight per Cent. of Copper-alloy, and keep the Pegu Touch, which they call flower’d Silver, and if it flowers, it passes current.
