Defn: A caper; a spring; a whim. [Scot.]
FLITFlit, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Flitted; p. pr. & vb. n. Flitting.] Etym:[OE. flitten, flutten, to carry away; cf. Icel. flytja, Sw. flytta,Dan. flytte. Fleet, v. i.]
1. To move with celerity through the air; to fly away with a rapid motion; to dart along; to fleet; as, a bird flits away; a cloud flits along. A shadow flits before me. Tennyson.
2. To flutter; to rove on the wing. Dryden.
3. To pass rapidly, as a light substance, from one place to another; to remove; to migrate. It became a received opinion, that the souls of men, departing this life, did flit out of one body into some other. Hooker.
4. To remove from one place or habitation to another. [Scot. & Prov. Eng.] Wright. Jamieson.
5. To be unstable; to be easily or often moved. And the free soul to flitting air resigned. Dryden.
FLITFlit, a.
Defn: Nimble; quick; swift. [Obs.] See Fleet.
FLITCH Flitch, n.; pl. Flitches. Etym: [OE. flicche, flikke, AS. flicce, akin to Icel. flikki; cf. Icel. flik flap, tatter; perh. akin to E. fleck. Cf. Flick, n.]
1. The side of a hog salted and cured; a side of bacon. Swift.
2. One of several planks, smaller timbers, or iron plates, which are secured together, side by side, to make a large girder or built beam.
3. The outside piece of a sawed log; a slab. [Eng.]
FLITEFlite, v. i. Etym: [AS. flitan to strive, contend, quarrel; akin toG. fleiss industry.]
Defn: To scold; to quarrel. [Prov. Eng.] Grose.
FLITE; FLYTEFlite, Flyte, n. [AS. flit. See Flite.]
Defn: Strife; dispute; abusive or upbraiding talk, as in fliting; wrangling. [Obs. or Scot. & Prov. Eng.]
The bird of Pallas has also a good "flyte" on the moral side . . . in his suggestion that the principal effect of the nightingale's song is to make women false to their husbands. Saintsbury.
FLITTERFlit"ter, v. i.
Defn: To flutter. [Obs.] Chaucer.
FLITTERFlit"ter, v. t.
Defn: To flutter; to move quickly; as, to flitter the cards. [R.]Lowell.
FLITTER Flit"ter, n. Etym: [Cf. G. flitter spangle, tinsel, flittern to make a tremulous motion, to glitter. Cf. Flitter, v. i.]
Defn: A rag; a tatter; a small piece or fragment.
FLITTERMOUSEFlit"ter*mouse`, n. Etym: [Flitter, v.i. + mouse; cf. G. fledermaus,OHG. fledarm. Cf. Flickermouse, Flindermouse.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A bat; — called also flickermouse, flindermouse, and flintymouse.
FLITTERNFlit"tern, a.
Defn: A term applied to the bark obtained from young oak trees.McElrath.
FLITTINESSFlit"ti*ness, n. Etym: [From Flitty.]
Defn: Unsteadiness; levity; lightness. [Obs.] Bp. Hopkins.
FLITTINGFlit"ting, n.
1. A flying with lightness and celerity; a fluttering.
2. A removal from one habitation to another. [Scot. & Prov. Eng.] A neighbor had lent his cart for the flitting, and it was now standing loaded at the door, ready to move away. Jeffrey.
FLITTING; FLYTTINGFlitt"ing, Flytt"ing, n.
Defn: Contention; strife; scolding; specif., a kind of metrical contest between two persons, popular in Scotland in the 16th century. [Obs. or Scot.]
These "flytings" consisted of alternate torrents of sheerBillingsgate poured upon each other by the combatants.Saintsbury.
FLITTINGLYFlit"ting*ly, adv.
Defn: In a flitting manner.
FLITTYFlit"ty, a. Etym: [From Flit.]
Defn: Unstable; fluttering. [Obs.] Dr. H. More.
FLIXFlix, n. Etym: [Cf. Flax.]
Defn: Down; fur. [Obs. or Eng.] J. Dyer.
FLIXFlix, n.
Defn: The flux; dysentery. [Obs.] Udall. Flix weed (Bot.), the Sisymbrium Sophia, a kind of hedge mustard, formerly used as a remedy for dysentery.
FLOFlo, n.; pl. Flon. Etym: [AS. fla, flan.]
Defn: An arrow. [Obs.] Chaucer.
FLOAT Float, n.Etym: [OE. flote ship, boat, fleet, AS. flota ship, fr. fleótan to float; akin to D. vloot fleet, G. floss raft, Icel. floti float, raft, fleet, Sw. flotta. sq. root 84. See Fleet, v. i., and cf. Flotilla, Flotsam, Plover.]
1. Anything which floats or rests on the surface of a fluid, as to sustain weight, or to indicate the height of the surface, or mark the place of, something. Specifically: (a) A mass of timber or boards fastened together, and conveyed down a stream by the current; a raft. (b) The hollow, metallic ball of a self-acting faucet, which floats upon the water in a cistern or boiler. (c) The cork or quill used in angling, to support the bait line, and indicate the bite of a fish. (d) Anything used to buoy up whatever is liable to sink; an inflated bag or pillow used by persons learning to swim; a life preserver. This reform bill . . . had been used as a float by the conservative ministry. J. P. Peters.
2. A float board. See Float board (below).
3. (Tempering)
Defn: A contrivance for affording a copious stream of water to the heated surface of an object of large bulk, as an anvil or die. Knight.
4. The act of flowing; flux; flow. [Obs.] Bacon.
5. A quantity of earth, eighteen feet square and one foot deep. [Obs.] Mortimer.
6. (Plastering)
Defn: The trowel or tool with which the floated coat of plastering is leveled and smoothed.
7. A polishing block used in marble working; a runner. Knight.
8. A single-cut file for smoothing; a tool used by shoemakers for rasping off pegs inside a shoe.
9. A coal cart. [Eng.] Simmonds.
10. The sea; a wave. See Flote, n. Float board, one of the boards fixed radially to the rim of an undershot water wheel or of a steamer's paddle wheel; — a vane. — Float case (Naut.), a caisson used for lifting a ship. — Float copper or gold (Mining), fine particles of metallic copper or of gold suspended in water, and thus liable to be lost. — Float ore, water-worn particles of ore; fragments of vein material found on the surface, away from the vein outcrop. Raymond. — Float stone (Arch.), a siliceous stone used to rub stonework or brickwork to a smooth surface. — Float valve, a valve or cock acted upon by a float. See Float, 1 (b).
FLOATFloat, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Floated; p. pr. & vb. n. Floating.] Etym:[OE. flotien, flotten, AS. flotian to float, swim, fr. fleótan. SeeFloat, n.]
1. To rest on the surface of any fluid; to swim; to be buoyed up.The ark no more now floats, but seems on ground. Milton.Three blustering nights, borne by the southern blast, I floated.Dryden.
2. To move quietly or gently on the water, as a raft; to drift along; to move or glide without effort or impulse on the surface of a fluid, or through the air. They stretch their broad plumes and float upon the wind. Pope. There seems a floating whisper on the hills. Byron.
FLOATFloat, v. t.
1. To cause to float; to cause to rest or move on the surface of a fluid; as, the tide floated the ship into the harbor. Had floated that bell on the Inchcape rock. Southey.
2. To flood; to overflow; to cover with water. Proud Pactolus floats the fruitful lands. Dryden.
3. (Plastering)
Defn: To pass over and level the surface of with a float while the plastering is kept wet.
4. To support and sustain the credit of, as a commercial scheme or a joint-stock company, so as to enable
FLOATABLEFloat"a*ble, a.
Defn: That may be floated.
FLOATAGEFloat"age (; 48), n.
Defn: Same as Flotage.
FLOATATIONFloat*a"tion, n.
Defn: See Flotation.
FLOATERFloat"er, n.
1. One who floats or swims.
2. A float for indicating the height of a liquid surface.
FLOATINGFloat"ing, a.
1. Buoyed upon or in a fluid; a, the floating timbers of a wreck; floating motes in the air.
2. Free or lose from the usual attachment; as, the floating ribs in man and some other animals.
3. Not funded; not fixed, invested, or determined; as, floating capital; a floating debt. Trade was at an end. Floating capital had been withdrawn in great masses from the island. Macaulay. Floating anchor (Naut.), a drag or sea anchor; drag sail. — Floating battery (Mil.), a battery erected on rafts or the hulls of ships, chiefly for the defense of a coast or the bombardment of a place. — Floating bridge. (a) A bridge consisting of rafts or timber, with a floor of plank, supported wholly by the water; a bateau bridge. See Bateau. (b) (Mil.) A kind of double bridge, the upper one projecting beyond the lower one, and capable of being moved forward by pulleys; — used for carrying troops over narrow moats in attacking the outworks of a fort. (c) A kind of ferryboat which is guided and impelled by means of chains which are anchored on each side of a stream, and pass over wheels on the vessel, the wheels being driven by stream power. (d) The landing platform of a ferry dock. — Floating cartilage (Med.), a cartilage which moves freely in the cavity of a joint, and often interferes with the functions of the latter. — Floating dam. (a) An anchored dam. (b) A caisson used as a gate for a dry dock. — Floating derrick, a derrick on a float for river and harbor use, in raising vessels, moving stone for harbor improvements, etc. — Floating dock. (Naut.) See under Dock. — Floating harbor, a breakwater of cages or booms, anchored and fastened together, and used as a protection to ships riding at anchor to leeward. Knight. — Floating heart (Bot.), a small aquatic plant (Limnanthemum lacunosum) whose heart-shaped leaves float on the water of American ponds. — Floating island, a dish for dessert, consisting of custard with floating masses of whipped cream or white of eggs. — Floating kidney. (Med.) See Wandering kidney, under Wandering. — Floating light, a light shown at the masthead of a vessel moored over sunken rocks, shoals, etc., to warn mariners of danger; a light- ship; also, a light erected on a buoy or floating stage. — Floating liver. (Med.) See Wandering liver, under Wandering. — Floating pier, a landing stage or pier which rises and falls with the tide. — Floating ribs (Anat.), the lower or posterior ribs which are not connected with the others in front; in man they are the last two pairs. — Floating screed (Plastering), a strip of plastering first laid on, to serve as a guide for the thickness of the coat. — Floating threads (Weaving), threads which span several other threads without being interwoven with them, in a woven fabric.
FLOATINGFloat"ing, n.
1. (Weaving)
Defn: Floating threads. See Floating threads, above.
2. The second coat of three-coat plastering. Knight.
FLOATING CHARGE; FLOATING LIENFloating charge, lien, etc. (Law)
Defn: A charge, lien, etc., that successively attaches to such assets as a person may have from time to time, leaving him more or less free to dispose of or encumber them as if no such charge or lien existed.
FLOATINGLYFloat"ing*ly, adv.
Defn: In a floating manner.
FLOATYFloat"y, a.
Defn: Swimming on the surface; buoyant; light. Sir W. Raleigh.
FLOBERTFlo"bert, n. (Gun.)
Defn: A small cartridge designed for target shooting; — sometimes called ball cap. Flobert rifle, a rifle adapted to the use of floberts.
FLOCCILLATION Floc`cil*la"tion, n. Etym: [L. floccus a flock of wool. Cf. Flock of wool.] (Med.)
Defn: A delirious picking of bedclothes by a sick person, as if to pick off flocks of wool; carphology; — an alarming symptom in acute diseases. Dunglison.
FLOCCOSEFloccose", a. Etym: [L. floccosus. Cf. 2d Flock, n.]
1. Spotted with small tufts like wool. Wright.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: Having tufts of soft hairs, which are often deciduous.
FLOCCULARFloc"cu*lar, a. (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the flocculus.
FLOCCULATEFloc"cu*late, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Flocculated; p. pr. & vb. n.Flocculating.] (Geol.)
Defn: To aggregate into small lumps.
FLOCCULATEFloc"cu*late, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Furnished with tufts of curly hairs, as some insects.
FLOCCULATIONFloc`cu*la"tion, n. (Geol.)
Defn: The process by which small particles of fine soils and sediments aggregate into larger lumps.
FLOCCULEFloc"cule, n. [See Flocculus.]
1. A detached mass of loosely fibrous structure like a shredded tuft of wool.
2. (Chem.) Specif.: A small particle of an insoluble substance formed in a liquid by the union of smaller particles.
FLOCCULENCEFloc"cu*lence, n.
Defn: The state of being flocculent.
FLOCCULENTFloc"cu*lent, a. Etym: [See Flock of wool.]
1. Clothed with small flocks or flakes; woolly. Gray.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Applied to the down of newly hatched or unfledged birds.
FLOCCULUS Floc"cu*lus, n.; pl. Flocculi. Etym: [NL., dim. of L. floccus a lock or flock of wool.] (Anat.)
Defn: A small lobe in the under surface of the cerebellum, near the middle peduncle; the subpeduncular lobe.
FLOCCUSFloc"cus, n.; pl. Flocci. Etym: [L., a flock of wool.]
1. (Zoöl.) (a) The tuft of hair terminating the tail of mammals. (b) A tuft of feathers on the head of young birds.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: A woolly filament sometimes occuring with the sporules of certain fungi.
FLOCKFlock, n. Etym: [AS. flocc flock, company; akin to Icel. flokkrcrowd, Sw. flock, Dan. flok; prob. orig. used of flows, and akin toE. fly. See Fly.]
1. A company or collection of living creatures; — especially applied to sheep and birds, rarely to persons or (except in the plural) to cattle and other large animals; as, a flock of ravenous fowl. Milton. The heathen . . . came to Nicanor by flocks. 2 Macc. xiv. 14.
2. A Christian church or congregation; considered in their relation to the pastor, or minister in charge. As half amazed, half frighted all his flock. Tennyson.
FLOCKFlock, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Flocked; p. pr. & vb. n. Flocking.]
Defn: To gather in companies or crowds.Friends daily flock. Dryden.Flocking fowl (Zoöl.), the greater scaup duck.
FLOCKFlock, v. t.
Defn: To flock to; to crowd. [Obs.]Good fellows, trooping, flocked me so. Taylor (1609).
FLOCKFlock, n. Etym: [OE. flokke; cf. D. vlok, G. flocke, OHG. floccho,Icel. fl, perh. akin to E. flicker, flacker, or cf. L. floccus, F.floc.]
1. A lock of wool or hair. I prythee, Tom, beat Cut's saddle, put a few flocks in the point [pommel]. Shak.
2. Woolen or cotton refuse (sing. or pl.), old rags, etc., reduced to a degree of fineness by machinery, and used for stuffing unpholstered furniture.
3. Very fine, sifted, woolen refuse, especially that from shearing the nap of cloths, used as a coating for wall paper to give it a velvety or clothlike appearance; also, the dust of vegetable fiber used for a similar purpose. Flock bed, a bed filled with flocks or locks of coarse wool, or pieces of cloth cut up fine. "Once a flock bed, but repaired with straw." Pope. — Flock paper, paper coated with flock fixed with glue or size.
FLOCKFlock, v. t.
Defn: To coat with flock, as wall paper; to roughen the surface of (as glass) so as to give an appearance of being covered with fine flock.
FLOCKLINGFlock"ling, n.
Defn: A lamb. [Obs.] Brome (1659).
FLOCKLYFlock"ly, adv.
Defn: In flocks; in crowds. [Obs.]
FLOCKMELFlock"mel, adv. Etym: [AS. flocm. See Meal part.]
Defn: In a flock; in a body. [Obs.]That flockmel on a day they to him went. Chaucer.
FLOCKYFlock"y, a.
Defn: Abounding with flocks; floccose.
FLOE Floe, n. Etym: [Cf. Dan. flag af iis, iisflage, Sw. flaga, flake, isflaga, isflake. See Flag a flat stone.]
Defn: A low, flat mass of floating ice. Floe rat (Zoöl.), a seal(Phoca foetida).
FLOGFlog, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Flogged; p. pr. & vb. n. Flogging.] Etym:[Cf. Scot. fleg blow, stroke, kick, AS. flocan to strike, or perh.fr. L. flagellare to whip. Cf. Flagellate.]
Defn: To beat or strike with a rod or whip; to whip; to lash; to chastise with repeated blows.
FLOGGERFlog"ger, n.
1. One who flogs.
2. A kind of mallet for beating the bung stave of a cask to start the bung. Knight.
FLOGGINGFlog"ging, a. & n.
Defn: from Flog, v. t. Flogging chisel (Mach.), a large cold chisel, used in chipping castings. — Flogging hammer, a small sledge hammer used for striking a flogging chisel.
FLONFlon, n. pl.
Defn: See Flo. [Obs.] Chaucer.
FLONGFlong ( or ), obs.
Defn: imp. & p. p. of Fling.
FLOOD Flood, n. Etym: [OE. flod a flowing, stream, flood, AS. flod; akin to D. vloed, OS. flod, OHG. fluot, G. flut, Icel. floedh, Sw. & Dan. flod, Goth. flodus; from the root of E. flow. sq. root80. See Flow, v. i.]
1. A great flow of water; a body of moving water; the flowing stream, as of a river; especially, a body of water, rising, swelling, and overflowing land not usually thus covered; a deluge; a freshet; an inundation. A covenant never to destroy The earth again by flood. Milton.
2. The flowing in of the tide; the semidiurnal swell or rise of water in the ocean; — opposed to ebb; as, young flood; high flood. There is a tide in the affairs of men, Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune. Shak.
3. A great flow or stream of any fluid substance; as, a flood of light; a flood of lava; hence, a great quantity widely diffused; an overflowing; a superabundance; as, a flood of bank notes; a flood of paper currency.
4. Menstrual disharge; menses. Harvey. Flood anchor (Naut.) , theanchor by which a ship is held while the tide is rising.— Flood fence, a fence so secured that it will not be swept away bya flood.— Flood gate, a gate for shutting out, admitting, or releasing, abody of water; a tide gate.— Flood mark, the mark or line to which the tide, or a flood,rises; high-water mark.— Flood tide, the rising tide; — opposed to ebb tide.— The Flood, the deluge in the days of Noah.
FLOODFlood, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Flooded; p. pr. & vb. n. Flooding.]
1. To overflow; to inundate; to deluge; as, the swollen river flooded the valley.
2. To cause or permit to be inundated; to fill or cover with water or other fluid; as, to flood arable land for irrigation; to fill to excess or to its full capacity; as, to flood a country with a depreciated currency.
FLOODAGEFlood"age (; 48), n.
Defn: Inundation. [R.] Carlyle.
FLOODERFlood"er, n.
Defn: One who floods anything.
FLOODINGFlood"ing, n.
Defn: The filling or covering with water or other fluid; overflow; inundation; the filling anything to excess.
2. (Med.)
Defn: An abnormal or excessive discharge of blood from the uterus.Dunglison.
FLOOKFlook, n.
Defn: A fluke of an anchor.
FLOOKAN; FLUKANFlook"an, Flu"kan, n. (Mining)
Defn: See Flucan.
FLOOKYFlook"y, a.
Defn: Fluky.
FLOOR Floor, n. Etym: [AS. fl; akin to D. vloer, G. flur field, floor, entrance hall, Icel. fl floor of a cow stall, cf. Ir. & Gael. lar floor, ground, earth, W. llawr, perh. akin to L. planus level. Cf. Plain smooth.]
1. The bottom or lower part of any room; the part upon which we stand and upon which the movables in the room are supported.
2. The structure formed of beams, girders, etc., with proper covering, which divides a building horizontally into stories. Floor in sense 1 is, then, the upper surface of floor in sense 2.
3. The surface, or the platform, of a structure on which we walk or travel; as, the floor of a bridge.
4. A story of a building. See Story.
5. (Legislative Assemblies) (a) The part of the house assigned to the members. (b) The right to speak. [U.S.]
Note: Instead of he has the floor, the English say, he is in possession of the house.
6. (Naut.)
Defn: That part of the bottom of a vessel on each side of the keelson which is most nearly horizontal.
7. (Mining) (a) The rock underlying a stratified or nearly horizontal deposit. (b) A horizontal, flat ore body. Raymond. Floor cloth, a heavy fabric, painted, varnished, or saturated, with waterproof material, for covering floors; oilcloth. — Floor cramp, an implement for tightening the seams of floor boards before nailing them in position. — Floor light, a frame with glass panes in a floor. — Floor plan. (a) (Shipbuilding) A longitudinal section, showing a ship as divided at the water line. (b) (Arch.) A horizontal section, showing the thickness of the walls and partitions, arrangement of passages, apartments, and openings at the level of any floor of a house.
FLOORFloor, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Floored; p. pr. & vb. n. Flooring.]
1. To cover with a floor; to furnish with a floor; as, to floor a house with pine boards.
2. To strike down or lay level with the floor; to knock down; hence, to silence by a conclusive answer or retort; as, to floor an opponent. Floored or crushed by him. Coleridge.
3. To finish or make an end of; as, to floor a college examination. [Colloq.] I've floored my little-go work. T. Hughes.
FLOORAGEFloor"age (; 48), n.
Defn: Floor space.
FLOORERFloor"er, n.
Defn: Anything that floors or upsets a person, as a blow that knocks him down; a conclusive answer or retort; a task that exceeds one's abilities. [Colloq.]
FLOORHEADSFloor"heads`, n. pl. (Naut.)
Defn: The upper extermities of the floor of a vessel.
FLOORINGFloor"ing, n.
Defn: A platform; the bottom of a room; a floor; pavement. See Floor, n. Addison.
2. Material for the construction of a floor or floors.
FLOORLESSFloor"less, a.
Defn: Having no floor.
FLOORWALKERFloor"walk`er, n.
Defn: One who walks about in a large retail store as an overseer and director. [U.S.]
FLOPFlop, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Flopped; p. pr. & vb. n. Flopping.] Etym:[A variant of flap.]
1. To clap or strike, as a bird its wings, a fish its tail, etc.; to flap.
2. To turn suddenly, as something broad and flat. [Colloq.] Fielding.
FLOPFlop, v. i.
1. To strike about with something broad abd flat, as a fish with its tail, or a bird with its wings; to rise and fall; as, the brim of a hat flops.
2. To fall, sink, or throw one's self, heavily, clumsily, and unexpectedly on the ground. [Colloq.] Dickens.
FLOPFlop, n.
Defn: Act of flopping. [Colloq.] W. H. Russell.
FLOPPYFlop"py, n.
Defn: Having a tendency to flop or flap; as, a floppy hat brim. G.Eliot.
FLOPWINGFlop"wing`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The lapwing.
FLORA Flo"ra, n. Etym: [L., the goddess of flowers, from flos, floris, flower. See Flower.]
1. (Rom. Myth.)
Defn: The goddess of flowers and spring.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: The complete system of vegetable species growing without cultivation in a given locality, region, or period; a list or description of, or treatise on, such plants.
FLORALFlo"ral, a. Etym: [L. Floralis belonging to Flora: cf. F. floral. SeeFlora.]
1. Pertaining to Flora, or to flowers; made of flowers; as, floral games, wreaths.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: Containing, or belonging to, a flower; as, a floral bud; a floral leaf; floral characters. Martyn. Floral envelope (Bot.), the calyx and corolla, one or the other of which (mostly the corolla) may be wanting.
FLORALLYFlo"ral*ly, adv.
Defn: In a floral manner.
FLORAMOURFlo"ra*mour, n.Etym: [L. flos, floris, flower + amorlove.]
Defn: The plant love-lies-bleeding. [Obs.] Prior.
FLORANFlo"ran, n. (Mining)
Defn: Tin ore scarcely perceptible in the stone; tin ore stamped very fine. Pryce.
FLOREALFlo`réal", n. Etym: [F. floréal, fr. L. flos, floris, flower.]
Defn: The eight month of the French republican calendar. It beganApril 20, and ended May 19. See Vendémiare.
FLORENFlor"en, n. Etym: [LL. florenus. See Florin.]
Defn: A cerain gold coin; a Florence. [Obs.] Chaucer.
FLORENCE Flor"ence, n. Etym: [From the city of Florence: cf. F. florence a kind of cloth, OF. florin.]
1. An ancient gold coin of the time of Edward III., of six shillings sterling value. Camden.
2. A kind of cloth. Johnson. Florence flask. See under Flask.— Florence oil, olive oil prepared in Florence.
FLORENTINEFlor"en*tine ( or ; 277), a. Etym: [L. Florentinus, fr. FlorentiaFlorence: cf. F. florentin.]
Defn: Belonging or relating to Florence, in Italy. Florentine mosaic, a mosaic of hard or semiprecious stones, often so chosen and arranged that their natural colors represent leaves, flowers, and the like, inlaid in a background, usually of black or white marble.
FLORENTINEFlor"en*tine, n.
1. A native or inhabitant of Florence, a city in Italy.
2. A kind of silk. Knight.
3. A kind of pudding or tart; a kind of meat pie. [Obs.] Stealing custards, tarts, and florentines. Beau. & Fl.
FLORESCENCEFlo*res"cence, n. Etym: [See Florescent.] (Bot.)
Defn: A bursting into flower; a blossoming. Martyn.
FLORESCENTFlo*res"cent, a. Etym: [L. florescens, p.pr. of florescere begin toblossom, incho. fr. florere to blossom, fr. flos, floris, flower. SeeFlower.]
Defn: Expanding into flowers; blossoming.
FLORET Flo"ret, n. Etym: [OF. florete, F. fleurette, dim. of OF. lor, F. fleur. See Flower, and cf. Floweret, 3d Ferret.]
1. (Bot.)
Defn: A little flower; one of the numerous little flowers which compose the head or anthodium in such flowers as the daisy, thistle, and dandelion. Gray.
2. Etym: [F. fleuret.]
Defn: A foil; a blunt sword used in fencing. [Obs.] Cotgrave.
FLORIAGEFlo"ri*age, n. Etym: [L. flos, flori, flower.]
Defn: Bloom; blossom. [Obs.] J. Scott.
FLORIATEDFlo"ri*a`ted, a. (Arch.)
Defn: Having floral ornaments; as, floriated capitals of Gothic pillars.
FLORIATIONFlo`ri*a"tion, n.
1. Ornamentation by means of flower forms, whether closely imitated or conventionalized.
2. Any floral ornament or decoration. Rock.
FLORICOMOUSFlo*ric"o*mous, a. Etym: [L. flos, floris, flower + coma hair.]
Defn: Having the head adorned with flowers. [R.]
FLORICULTURALFlo`ri*cul"tur*al ( or ; 135), a.
Defn: Pertaining to the cultivation of flowering plants.
FLORICULTURE Flo"ri*cul`ture ( or ; 135, 277), n. Etym: [L. flos, floris, flower + cultura culture.]
Defn: The cultivation of flowering plants.
FLORICULTURISTFlo`ri*cul"tur*ist, n.
Defn: One skilled in the cultivation of flowers; a florist.
FLORIDFlor"id, a. Etym: [L. floridus, fr. flos, floris, flower. SeeFlower.]
1. Covered with flowers; abounding in flowers; flowery. [R.] Fruit from a pleasant and florid tree. Jer. Taylor.
2. Bright in color; flushed with red; of a lively reddish color; as, a florid countenance.
3. Embellished with flowers of rhetoric; enriched to excess with figures; excessively ornate; as, a florid style; florid eloquence.
4. (Mus.)
Defn: Flowery; ornamental; running in rapid melodic figures, divisions, or passages, as in variations; full of fioriture or little ornamentations.
FLORIDA BEAN Flor"i*da bean". (Bot.) (a) The large, roundish, flattened seed of Mucuna urens. See under Bean. (b) One of the very large seeds of the Entada scandens.
FLORIDEAEFlo*rid"e*æ, n. pl. Etym: [NL., from L. flos, floris, a flower.](Bot.)
Defn: A subclass of algæ including all the red or purplish seaweeds; the Rhodospermeæ of many authors; — so called from the rosy or florid color of most of the species.
FLORIDITYFlo*rid"i*ty, n.
Defn: The quality of being florid; floridness. Floyer.
FLORIDLYFlor"id*ly, adv.
Defn: In a florid manner.
FLORIDNESSFlor"id*ness, n.
Defn: The quality of being florid. Boyle.
FLORIFEROUS Flo*rif"er*ous, a. Etym: [L. florifer; flos, floris, flower + ferre to bear; cf. F. florifère.]
Defn: Producing flowers. Blount.
FLORIFICATION Flo`ri*fi*ca"tion, n. Etym: [L. flos, floris, flower + facere to make.]
Defn: The act, process, or time of flowering; florescence.
FLORIFORM Flo"ri*form ( or ), a. Etym: [L. flos, floris, flower + -form: cf. F. floriforme.]
Defn: Having the form of a flower; flower-shaped.
FLORIKENFlo"ri*ken, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: An Indian bustard (Otis aurita). The Bengal floriken isSypheotides Bengalensis. [Written also florikan, floriken, florican.]
FLORILEGE Flo"ri*lege, n. Etym: [L. florilegus flower-culling; flos, floris, flower + legere to gather: cf. F. florilège.]
Defn: The act of gathering flowers.
FLORIMERFlo"ri*mer, n. (Bot.)
Defn: See Floramour. [Obs.]
FLORIN Flor"in, n. Etym: [F. florin, It. florino, orig., a Florentine coin, with a lily on it, fr. flore a flower, fr. L. flos. See Flower, and cf. Floren.]
Defn: A silver coin of Florence, first struck in the twelfth century, and noted for its beauty. The name is given to different coins in different countries. The florin of England, first minted in 1849, is worth two shillings, or about 48 cents; the florin of the Netherlands, about 40 cents; of Austria, about 36 cents.
FLORIST Flo"rist ( or ; 277), n. Etym: [Cf. F. fleuriste, floriste, fr. F. fleur flower. See Flower.]
1. A cultivator of, or dealer in, flowers.
2. One who writes a flora, or an account of plants.
FLOROONFlo*roon", n. Etym: [F. fleuron. See Flower.]
Defn: A border worked with flowers. Wright.
FLORULENTFlor"u*lent, a. Etym: [L. florulentus, fr. flos, floris, flower.]
Defn: Flowery; blossoming. [Obs.] Blount.
FLOSCULARFlos"cu*lar, a. (Bot.)
Defn: Flosculous.
FLOSCULARIANFlos`cu*la"ri*an, n. Etym: [From L. flosculus a floweret.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of a group of stalked rotifers, having ciliated tentacles around the lobed disk.
FLOSCULE Flos*cule, n. Etym: [L. flosculus, dim. of flos flower: cf. F. floscule.] (Bot.)
Defn: A floret.
FLOSCULOUSFlos"cu*lous, a. (Bot.)
Defn: Consisting of many gamopetalous florets.
FLOS-FERRIFlos`-fer"ri, n.Etym: [L., flower of iron.] (Min.)
Defn: A variety of aragonite, occuring in delicate white coralloidal forms; — common in beds of iron ore.
FLOSHFlosh, n. Etym: [Cf. G. flösse a trough in which tin ore is washed.](Metallurgy)
Defn: A hopper-shaped box or Knight.
FLOSS Floss (; 195), n. Etym: [It. floscio flabby, soft, fr. L. fluxus flowing, loose, slack. See Flux, n.]
1. (Bot.)
Defn: The slender styles of the pistillate flowers of maize; also called silk.
2. Untwisted filaments of silk, used in embroidering. Floss silk, silk that has been twisted, and which retains its loose and downy character. It is much used in embroidery. Called also floxed silk. — Floss thread, a kind of soft flaxen yarn or thread, used for embroidery; — called also linen floss, and floss yarn. McElrath.
FLOSSFloss, n. Etym: [Cf. G. floss a float.]
1. A small stream of water. [Eng.]
2. Fluid glass floating on iron in the puddling furnace, produced by the vitrification of oxides and earths which are present. Floss hole. (a) A hole at the back of a puddling furnace, at which the slags pass out. (b) The tap hole of a melting furnace. Knight.
FLOSSIFICATIONFlos`si*fi*ca"tion, n. Etym: [Cf. Florification.]
Defn: A flowering; florification. [R.] Craig.
FLOSSYFloss"y, a.
Defn: Pertaining to, made of, or resembling, floss; hence, light; downy.
FLOTAFlo"ta, n. Etym: [Sp. See Flotilla.]
Defn: A fleet; especially, a
FLOTAGEFlo"tage, n. Etym: [OF. flotage, F. flottage, fr. flotter to float.]
1. The state of floating.
2. That which floats on the sea or in rivers. [Written also floatage.]
FLOTANT Flo"tant, a. Etym: [OF. flotant, F. flottant, p.pr. of flotter to float.] (Her.)
Defn: Represented as flying or streaming in the air; as, a banner flotant.
FLOTATION Flo*ta"tion, n. Etym: [Cf. F. flottation a floating, flottaison water line, fr. flotter to float. See Flotilla.]
1. The act, process, or state of floating.
2. The science of floating bodies. Center of flotation. (Shipbuilding) (a) The center of any given plane of flotation. (b) More commonly, the middle of the length of the load water line. Rankine. — Plane, or Line, of flotation, the plane or line in which the horizontal surface of a fluid cuts a body floating in it. See Bearing, n., 9 (c). — Surface of flotation (Shipbuilding), the imaginary surface which all the planes of flotation touch when a vessel rolls or pitches; the envelope of all such planes.
FLOTATION PROCESSFlotation process.
Defn: A process of separating the substances contained in pulverized ore or the like by depositing the mixture on the surface of a flowing liquid, the substances that are quickly wet readily overcoming the surface tension of the liquid and sinking, the others flowing off in a film or slime on the surface, though, perhaps, having a greater specific gravity than those that sink.
FLOTEFlote, v. t.
Defn: To fleet; to skim. [Obs.] Tusser.
FLOTEFlote, n. Etym: [Cf. F. flot, L. fluctus; also cf. Float, n.]
Defn: A wave. [Obs.] "The Mediterranean flote." Shak.
FLOTERYFlot"er*y, a.
Defn: Wavy; flowing. [Obs.]With flotery beard. Chaucer.
FLOTILLA Flo*til"la, n. Etym: [Sp. flotilla, dim. of flota fleet; akin to F. flotte, It. flotta, and F. flot wave, fr. L. fluctus, but prob. influenced by words akin to E. float. See Fluctuate, and cf. Float, n.]
Defn: A little fleet, or a fleet of small vessels.
FLOTSAM; FLOTSON Flot"sam, Flot"son, n. Etym: [F. flotter to float. See FFlotilla, and cf. Jetsam.] (Law)
Defn: Goods lost by shipwreck, and floating on the sea; — in distinction from jetsam or jetson. Blackstone.
FLOTTENFlot"ten, p. p. of Flote, v. t.
Defn: Skimmed. [Obs.]
FLOUNCEFlounce, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Flounced (flounst); p. pr. & vb. n.Flouncing.] Etym: [Cf. OSw. flunsa to immerge.]
Defn: To throw the limbs and body one way and the other; to spring, turn, or twist with sudden effort or violence; to struggle, as a horse in mire; to flounder; to throw one's self with a jerk or spasm, often as in displeasure. To flutter and flounce will do nothing but batter and bruise us. Barrow. With his broad fins and forky tail he laves The rising sirge, and flounces in the waves. Addison.
FLOUNCEFlounce, n.
Defn: The act of floucing; a sudden, jerking motion of the body.
FLOUNCE Flounce, n. Etym: [Cf. G. flaus, flausch, a tuft of wool or hair; akin to vliess, E. fleece; or perh. corrupted fr. rounce.]
Defn: An ornamental appendage to the skirt of a woman's dress, consisting of a strip gathered and sewed on by its upper edge around the skirt, and left hanging.
FLOUNCEFlounce, v. t.
Defn: To deck with a flounce or flounces; as, to flounce a petticoat or a frock.
FLOUNDER Floun"der, n. Etym: [Cf. Sw. flundra; akin to Dan. flynder, Icel. fly, G. flunder, and perh. to E. flounder, v.i.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A flatfish of the family Pleuronectidæ, of many species.
Note: The common English flounder is Pleuronectes flesus. There are several common American species used as food; as the smooth flounder (P. glabra); the rough or winter flounder (P. Americanus); the summer flounder, or plaice (Paralichthys dentatus), Atlantic coast; and the starry flounder (Pleuronectes stellatus).
2. (Bootmaking)
Defn: A tool used in crimping boot fronts.
FLOUNDERFloun"der, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Floundered; p. pr. & vb. n.Floundering.] Etym: [Cf. D. flodderen to flap, splash through mire,E. flounce, v.i., and flounder the fish.]
Defn: To fling the limbs and body, as in making efforts to move; to struggle, as a horse in the mire, or as a fish on land; to roll, toss, and tumble; to flounce. They have floundered on from blunder to blunder. Sir W. Hamilton.
FLOUNDERFloun"der, n.
Defn: The act of floundering.
FLOUR Flour, n. Etym: [F. fleur de farine the flower (i.e., the best) of meal, cf. Sp. flor de la harina superfine flour, Icel. flür flower, flour. See Flower.]
Defn: The finely ground meal of wheat, or of any other grain; especially, the finer part of meal separated by bolting; hence, the fine and soft powder of any substance; as, flour of emery; flour of mustard. Flour bolt, in milling, a gauze-covered, revolving, cylindrical frame or reel, for sifting the flour from the refuse contained in the meal yielded by the stones. — Flour box a tin box for scattering flour; a dredging box. — Flour dredge or dredger, a flour box. — Flour dresser, a mashine for sorting and distributing flour according to grades of fineness. — Flour mill, a mill for grinding and sifting flour.
FLOURFlour, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Floured; p. pr. & vb. n. Flouring.]
1. To grind and bolt; to convert into flour; as, to flour wheat.
2. To sprinkle with flour.
FLOUREDFloured, p. a.
Defn: Finely granulated; — said of quicksilver which has been granulated by agitation during the amalgamation process. Raymond.
FLOURISHFlour"ish, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Flourished; p. pr. & vb. n.Flourishing.] Etym: [OE. florisshen, flurisshen, OF. flurir, F.fleurir, fr. L. florere to bloom, fr. flos, floris, flower. SeeFlower, and -ish.]
1. To grow luxuriantly; to increase and enlarge, as a healthy growing plant; a thrive. A tree thrives and flourishes in a kindly . . . soil. Bp. Horne.
2. To be prosperous; to increase in wealth, honor, comfort, happiness, or whatever is desirable; to thrive; to be prominent and influental; specifically, of authors, painters, etc., to be in a state of activity or production. When all the workers of iniquity do flourish. Ps. xcii 7 Bad men as frequently prosper and flourish, and that by the means of their wickedness. Nelson. We say Of those that held their heads above the crowd, They flourished then or then. Tennyson.
3. To use florid language; to indulge in rhetorical figures and lofty expressions; to be flowery. They dilate . . . and flourish long on little incidents. J. Watts.
4. To make bold and sweeping, fanciful, or wanton movements, by way of ornament, parade, bravado, etc.; to play with fantastic and irregular motion. Impetuous spread The stream, and smoking flourished o'er his head. Pope.
5. To make ornamental strokes with the pen; to write graceful, decorative figures.
6. To execute an irregular or fanciful strain of music, by way of ornament or prelude. Why do the emperor's trumpets flourish thus Shak.
7. To boast; to vaunt; to brag. Pope.
FLOURISHFlour"ish, v. t.
1. To adorn with flowers orbeautiful figures, either natural or artificial; to ornament with anything showy; to embellish. [Obs.] Fenton.
2. To embellish with the flowers of diction; to adorn with rhetorical figures; to grace with ostentatious eloquence; to set off with a parade of words. [Obs.] Sith that the justice of your title to him Doth flourish the deceit. Shak.
3. To move in bold or irregular figures; to swing about in circles or vibrations by way of show or triumph; to brandish. And flourishes his blade in spite of me. Shak.
4. To develop; to make thrive; to expand. [Obs.] Bottoms of thread . . . which with a good needle, perhaps flourished into large works. Bacon.
FLOURISHFlour"ish, n.; pl. Flourishes (.
1. A flourishing condition; prosperity; vigor. [Archaic] The Roman monarchy, in her highest flourish, never had the like. Howell.
2. Decoration; ornament; beauty. The flourish of his sober youth Was the pride of naked truth. Crashaw.
3. Something made or performed in a fanciful, wanton, or vaunting manner, by way of ostentation, to excite admiration, etc.; ostentatious embellishment; ambitious copiousness or amplification; parade of wordas, a flourish of rhetoric or of wit. He lards with flourishes his long harangue. Dryden.
4. A fanciful stroke of the pen or graver; a merely decorativefigure.The neat characters and flourishes of a Bible curiously printed.Boyle.
5. A fantastic or decorative musical passage; a strain of triumph or bravado, not forming part of a regular musical composition; a cal; a fanfare. A flourish, trumpets! strike alarum, drums! Shak.
6. The waving of a weapon or other thing; a brandishing; as, the fluorish of a sword.
FLOURISHERFlour"ish*er, n.
Defn: One who flourishes.
FLOURISHINGLYFlour"ish*ing*ly
Defn: , adv. In a flourishing manner; ostentatiously.
FLOURYFlour"y, a.
Defn: Of or resembling flour; mealy; covered with flour. Dickens.
FLOUTFlout, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Flouted; p. pr. & vb. n. Flouting.] Etym:[OD. fluyten to play the flute, to jeer, D. fluiten, fr. fluit, fr.French. See Flute.]
Defn: To mock or insult; to treat with contempt.Phillida flouts me. Walton.Three gaudy standarts lout the pale blue sky. Byron.
FLOUTFlout, v. i.
Defn: To practice mocking; to behave with contempt; to sneer; to fleer; — often with at. Fleer and gibe, and laugh and flout. Swift.
FLOUTFlout, n.
Defn: A mock; an insult.Who put your beauty to this flout and scorn. Tennyson.
FLOUTERFlout"er, n.
Defn: One who flouts; a mocker.
FLOUTINGLYFlout"ing*ly, adv.
Defn: With flouting; insultingly; as, to treat a lover floutingly.
FLOWFlow, obs.
Defn: imp. sing. of Fly, v. i. Chaucer.
FLOWFlow, v. i. [imp. & p. p. FFlowed; p. pr. & vb. n. Flowing.] Etym:[AS. flowan; akin to D. vloeijen, OHG. flawen to wash, Icel. floa todeluge, Gr. float, fleet. *80. Cf. Flood.]
1. To move with a continual change of place among the particles or parts, as a fluid; to change place or circulate, as a liquid; as, rivers flow from springs and lakes; tears flow from the eyes.
2. To become liquid; to melt. The mountains flowed down at thy presence. Is. lxiv. 3.
3. To pproceed; to issue forth; as, wealth flows from industry and economy. Those thousand decencies that daily flow From all her words and actions. Milton.
4. To glide along smoothly, without harshness or asperties; as, a flowing period; flowing numbers; to sound smoothly to the ear; to be uttered easily. Virgil is sweet and flowingin his hexameters. Dryden.
5. To have or be in abundance; to abound; to full, so as to run or flow over; to be copious. In that day . . . the hills shall flow with milk. Joel iii. 18. The exhilaration of a night that needed not the influence of the flowing bowl. Prof. Wilson.
6. To hang loose and waving; as, a flowing mantle; flowing locks. The imperial purple flowing in his train. A. Hamilton.
7. To rise, as the tide; — opposed to ebb; as, the tide flows twice in twenty-four hours. The river hath thrice flowed, no ebb between. Shak.
8. To discharge blood in excess from the uterus.
FLOWFlow, v. t.
1. To cover with water or other liquid; to overflow; to inundate; to flood.
2. To cover with varnish.
FLOWFlow, n.
1. A stream of water or other fluid; a current; as, a flow of water; a flow of blood.
2. A continuous movement of something abundant; as, a flow of words.
3. Any gentle, gradual movement or procedure of thought, diction, music, or the like, resembling the quiet, steady movement of a river; a stream. The feast of reason and the flow of soul. Pope.
4. The tidal setting in of the water from the ocean to the shore. See Ebb and flow, under Ebb.
5. A low-lying piece of watery land; — called also flow moss and flow bog. [Scot.] Jamieson.
FLOWAGEFlow"age (; 48), n.
Defn: An overflowing with water; also, the water which thus overflows.
FLOWENFlow"en, obs.
Defn: imp. pl. of Fly, v. i. Chaucer.
FLOWERFlow"er, n. Etym: [OE. flour, OF. flour, flur, flor, F. fleur, fr. L.flos, floris. Cf. Blossom, Effloresce, Floret, Florid, Florin, Flour,Flourish.]
1. In the popular sense, the bloom or blossom of a plant; the showy portion, usually of a different color, shape, and texture from the foliage.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: That part of a plant destined to produce seed, and hence including one or both of the sexual organs; an organ or combination of the organs of reproduction, whether inclosed by a circle of foliar parts or not. A complete flower consists of two essential parts, the stamens and the pistil, and two floral envelopes, the corolla and callyx. In mosses the flowers consist of a few special leaves surrounding or subtending organs called archegonia. See Blossom, and Corolla.
Note: If we examine a common flower, such for instance as a geranium, we shall find that it consists of: First, an outer envelope or calyx, sometimes tubular, sometimes consisting of separate leaves called sepals; secondly, an inner envelope or corolla, which is generally more or less colored, and which, like the calyx, is sometimes tubular, sometimes composed of separate leaves called petals; thirdly, one or more stamens, consisting of a stalk or filament and a head or anther, in which the pollen is produced; and fourthly, a pistil, which is situated in the center of the flower, and consists generally of three principal parts; one or more compartments at the base, each containing one or more seeds; the stalk or style; and the stigma, which in many familiar instances forms a small head, at the top of the style or ovary, and to which the pollen must find its way in order to fertilize the flower. Sir J. Lubbock.
3. The fairest, freshest, and choicest part of anything; as, the flower of an army, or of a family; the state or time of freshness and bloom; as, the flower of life, that is, youth. The choice and flower of all things profitable the Psalms do more briefly contain. Hooker. The flower of the chivalry of all Spain. Southey. A simple maiden in her flower Is worth a hundred coats of arms. Tennyson.
4. Grain pulverized; meal; flour. [Obs.] The flowers of grains, mixed with water, will make a sort of glue. Arbuthnot.
5. pl. (Old. Chem.)
Defn: A substance in the form of a powder, especially when condensed from sublimation; as, the flowers of sulphur.
6. A figure of speech; an ornament of style.
7. pl. (Print.)
Defn: Ornamental type used chiefly for borders around pages, cards, etc. W. Savage.
8. pl.
Defn: Menstrual discharges. Lev. xv. 24. Animal flower (Zoöl.) Seeunder Animal.— Cut flowers, flowers cut from the stalk, as for making a bouquet.— Flower bed, a plat in a garden for the cultivation of flowers.— Flower beetle (Zoöl.), any beetle which feeds upon flowers, esp.any one of numerous small species of the genus Meligethes, familyNitidulidæ, some of which are injurious to crops.— Flower bird (Zoöl.), an Australian bird of the genus Anthornis,allied to the honey eaters.— Flower bud, an unopened flower.— Flower clock, an assemblage of flowers which open and close atdifferent hours of the day, thus indicating the time.— Flower head (Bot.), a compound flower in which all the floretsare sessile on their receptacle, as in the case of the daisy.— Flower pecker (Zoöl.), one of a family (Dicæidæ) of small Indianand Australian birds. They resemble humming birds in habits.— Flower piece. (a) A table ornament made of cut flowers. (b) (FineArts) A picture of flowers.— Flower stalk (Bot.), the peduncle of a plant, or the stem thatsupports the flower or fructification.
FLOWERFlow"er, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Flowered; p. pr. & vb. n. Flowering.]Etym: [From the noun. Cf. Flourish.]
1. To blossom; to bloom; to expand the petals, as a plant; to produce flowers; as, this plant flowers in June.
2. To come into the finest or fairest condition. Their lusty and flowering age. Robynson (More's Utopia). When flowered my youthful spring. Spenser.
3. To froth; to ferment gently, as new beer. That beer did flower a little. Bacon.
4. To come off as flowers by sublimation. [Obs.] Observations which have flowered off. Milton.
FLOWERFlow"er, v. t.
Defn: To embellish with flowers; to adorn with imitated flowers; as, flowered silk.
FLOWERAGEFlow"er*age (; 48), n.
Defn: State of flowers; flowers, collectively or in general.Tennyson.
FLOWER-DE-LUCEFlow"er-de-luce", n. Etym: [Corrupted fr. fleur-de-lis.] (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of perennial herbs (Iris) with swordlike leaves and large three-petaled flowers often of very gay colors, but probably white in the plant first chosen for the royal French emblem.
Note: There are nearly one hundred species, natives of the northtemperate zone. Some of the best known are Iris Germanica, I.Florentina, I. Persica, I. sambucina, and the American I. versicolor,I. prismatica, etc.
FLOWERERFlow"erer, n.
Defn: A plant which flowers or blossoms.Many hybrids are profuse and persistent flowerers. Darwin.
FLOWERETFlow"er*et, n.
Defn: A small flower; a floret. Shak.
FLOWER-FENCEFlow"er-fence`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A tropical leguminous bush (Poinciana, or Cæsalpinia, pulcherrima) with prickly branches, and showy yellow or red flowers; — so named from its having been sometimes used for hedges in the West Indies. Baird.
FLOWERFULFlow"er*ful, a.
Defn: Abounding with flowers. Craig.
FLOWER-GENTLEFlow"er-gen`tle, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A species of amaranth (Amarantus melancholicus).
FLOWERINESSFlow"er*i*ness, n.
Defn: The state of being flowery.
FLOWERINGFlow"er*ing, a. (Bot.)
Defn: Having conspicuous flowers; — used as an epithet with many names of plants; as, flowering ash; flowering dogwood; flowering almond, etc. Flowering fern, a genus of showy ferns (Osmunda), with conspicuous bivalvular sporangia. They usually grow in wet places. — Flowering plants, plants which have stamens and pistils, and produce true seeds; phenogamous plants; — distinguished from flowerless plants. — Flowering rush, a European rushlike plant (Butomus umbellatus), with an umbel of rosy blossoms.
FLOWERINGFlow"er*ing, n.
1. The act of blossoming, or the season when plants blossom; florification.
2. The act of adorning with flowers.
FLOWERLESSFlow"er*less, a.
Defn: Having no flowers. Flowerless plants, plants which have no true flowers, and produce no seeds; cryptigamous plants.
FLOWERLESSNESSFlow"er*less*ness, n.
Defn: State of being without flowers.
FLOWERPOTFlow"er*pot`, n.
Defn: A vessel, commonly or earthenware, for earth in which plants are grown.
FLOWER STATEFlow"er State.
Defn: Florida; — a nickname, alluding to sense of L. floridus, from florida flowery. See Florid.
FLOWERYFlow"er*y, a.
1. Full of flowers; abounding with blossoms.
2. Highly embellished with figurative language; florid; as, a flowery style. Milton. The flowery kingdom, China.
FLOWERY-KIRTLEDFlow"er*y-kir`tled, a.
Defn: Dressed with garlands of flowers. [Poetic & Rare] Milton.
FLOWINGFlow"ing, a.
Defn: That flows or for flowing (in various sense of the verb); gliding along smoothly; copious. Flowing battery (Elec.), a battery which is kept constant by the flowing of the exciting liquid through the cell or cells. Knight. — Flowing furnace, a furnace from which molten metal, can be drawn, as through a tap hole; a foundry cupola. — Flowing sheet (Naut.), a sheet when eased off, or loosened to the wind, as when the wind is abaft the beam. Totten.
FLOWINGFlow"ing,
Defn: a. & n. from Flow, v. i. & t.
FLOWINGLYFlow"ing*ly, adv.
Defn: In a flowing manner.
FLOWINGNESSFlow"ing*ness, n.
Defn: Flowing tendency or quality; fluency. [R.] W. Nichols.
FLOWKFlowk ( or ), n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: See 1st Fluke.
FLOWNFlown,
Defn: p. p. of Fly; — often used with the auxiliary verb to be; as, the birds are flown.
FLOWNFlown, a.
Defn: Flushed, inflated.
Note: [Supposed by some to be a mistake for blown or swoln.] Pope.Then wander forth the sons Of Belial, flown with insolence and wine.Milton.