flower: [13] The Old English word for ‘flower’ was blōstm, which is ultimately related to flower. Both come from Indo-European *bhlō-, which probably originally meant ‘swell’, and also gave English bloom, blade, and the now archaic blow ‘come into flower’. Its Latin descendant was flōs, whose stem form flōr- passed via Old French flour and Anglo-Norman flur into English, where it gradually replaced blossom as the main word for ‘flower’. Close English relatives include floral, florid [17] (from Latin flōridus), florin, florist [17] (an English coinage), flour, and flourish. => blade, bloom, blow, floral, florid, flour, flourish
flower (n.)
c. 1200, flour, also flur, flor, floer, floyer, flowre, "the blossom of a plant; a flowering plant," from Old French flor "flower, blossom; heyday, prime; fine flour; elite; innocence, virginity" (12c., Modern French fleur), from Latin florem (nominative flos) "flower" (source of Italian fiore, Spanish flor; compare flora).
From late 14c. in English as "blossoming time," also, figuratively, "prime of life, height of one's glory or prosperity, state of anything that may be likened to the flowering state of a plant." As "the best, the most excellent; the best of its class or kind; embodiment of an ideal," early 13c. (of persons, mid-13c. of things); for example flour of milk "cream" (early 14c.); especially "wheat meal after bran and other coarse elements have been removed, the best part of wheat" (mid-13c.). Modern spelling and full differentiation from flour (n.) is from late 14c.
In the "blossom of a plant" sense it ousted its Old English cognate blostm (see blossom (n.)). Also used from Middle English as a symbol of transitoriness (early 14c.); "a beautiful woman" (c. 1300); "virginity" (early 14c.). Flower-box is from 1818. Flower-arrangement is from 1873. Flower child "gentle hippie" is from 1967.
flower (v.)
c. 1200, "be vigorous, prosper, thrive," from flower (n.). Of a plant or bud, "to blossom," c. 1300. Meaning "adorn or cover with flowers" is from 1570s. Related: Flowered; flowering.
实用例句
1. She now makes wonderful dried flower arrangements to order.
现在她为顾客定做漂亮的干花插花。
来自柯林斯例句
2. Those killed have been described as the flower of Polish manhood.
那些牺牲者被称为波兰男子中的精英。
来自柯林斯例句
3. Pickers are bent double, plucking each flower with lightning speed.
采花人弓着身子飞快地摘着花。
来自柯林斯例句
4. This helps to ripen new growth and makes it flower profusely.
这有助于新生发植株的成熟，令其开出繁茂的花朵。
来自柯林斯例句
5. Several of these rhododendrons will flower this year for the first time.
