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flourish

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flourish


  4  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Flourish  \Flour"ish\,  v.  i.  [imp.  &  p.  p.  {Flourished};  p.  pr  & 
  vb  n.  {Flourishing}.]  [OE.  florisshen  flurisshen  OF 
  flurir  F.  fleurir  fr  L.  florere  to  bloom,  fr  flos, 
  floris,  flower.  See  {Flower},  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. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Flourish  \Flour"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  may  be  flourished  into  large  works  --Bacon. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Flourish  \Flour"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  words  and  figures; 
  show  as  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 
  decorative  figure. 
 
  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  flourish  of  a  sword. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  flourish 
  n  1:  a  showy  gesture;  "she  entered  with  a  great  flourish" 
  2:  a  display  of  ornamental  language 
  3:  the  act  of  waving  [syn:  {brandish}] 
  4:  a  short  lively  tune  played  on  brass  instruments;  "he  entered 
  to  a  flourish  of  trumpets";  "her  arrival  was  greeted  with 
  a  rousing  fanfare"  [syn:  {fanfare}] 
  v  1:  grow  stronger;  "The  economy  was  booming"  [syn:  {boom},  {prosper}, 
  {thrive},  {get  ahead},  {expand}] 
  2:  gain  in  wealth  [syn:  {thrive},  {prosper},  {fligh  high}] 
  3:  move  or  swing  back  and  forth;  "She  waved  her  gun."  [syn:  {brandish}, 
  {wave}] 




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