Definition of "flower"

flower¹

/ˈflaʊ.ə/

noun
countable and uncountable, plural flowers
1. A colorful, conspicuous structure associated with angiosperms, frequently scented and attracting various insects, and which may or may not be used for sexual reproduction.
  Quotations
  O Laurinella! little doſt thou wot / How fraile a flower thou doſt ſo highly prize: / Beauty's the flower, but love the flower-pot / That muſt preſerve it, els it quickly dyes.
  1653, William Basse, “Clio, or The First Muse; in 9 Eglogues in Honor of 9 Vertues. As It was in His Dayes Intended. [Munday. Laurinella. Eglogue. Of True and Chast Love.]”, in J[ohn] P[ayne] C[ollier], editor, The Pastorals and Other Workes of William Basse. […] (Miscellaneous Tracts, Temp. Eliz. & Jac. I), [London: s.n.], published 1870
  The flowers glowed red and golden: snapdragons and sunflowers, and nasturtians trailing all over the turf walls and peeping in at the round windows.
  1954 July 29, J[ohn] R[onald] R[euel] Tolkien, “A Long-Expected Party”, in The Fellowship of the Ring: Being the First Part of The Lord of the Rings, New York, N.Y.: Ballantine Books, published September 1973
2. (botany) A reproductive structure in angiosperms (flowering plants), often conspicuously colourful and typically including sepals, petals, and either or both stamens and/or a pistil.
  Quotations
  You know, Darwin studied their fertilisation, and showed that the whole structure of an ordinary orchid flower was contrived in order that moths might carry the pollen from plant to plant.
  1894, H. G. Wells, The Flowering of the Strange Orchid
3. A plant that bears flowers, especially a plant that is small and lacks wood.
4. The stem of a flowering plant with the blossom or blossoms attached, used for decoration, as a gift, etc.
5. (uncountable, usually with in) Of plants, a state of bearing blooms.
6. (euphemistic, hypocoristic) The vulva, especially the labia majora.
  Quotations
  [F]or ſtill, that my virgin-flower was yet uncrop'd never once enter'd into his head, and he would have thought it idling with time and words to have queſtion'd me upon it.
  1749, [John Cleland], “(Please specify the letter or volume)”, in Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure [Fanny Hill], London: […] G. Fenton [i.e., Fenton and Ralph Griffiths] […], page 106
7. The best examples or representatives of a group.
  Quotations
  At Floddon hyllys, / Our bowys, our byllys / Slew all the floure / Of theyr honoure.
  1513, John Skelton, Agaynst the Scottes; republished in John Scattergood, editor, John Skelton: The Complete English Poems, 1983, page 116, lines 25–28
  The choice and flower of all things profitable the Psalms do more briefly contain.
  1594–1597, Richard Hooker, edited by J[ohn] S[penser], Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie, […], London: […] Will[iam] Stansby [for Matthew Lownes], published 1611, (please specify the page)
  the flower of the chivalry of all Spain
  1808, Robert Southey, Chronicle of the Cid, from the Spanish
  In times of peace, so clean and bright, / And with a new-washed morning face, / He walked Pall Mall, a goodly sight, / The finished flower of all the race.
  1915, Katharine Tynan, The Golden Boy
8. The best state of things; the prime.
  Quotations
  A simple maiden in her flower / Is worth a hundred coats-of-arms.
  1842, Alfred Tennyson, “Lady Clara Vere de Vere”, in Poems. […], volume I, London: Edward Moxon, […], stanza 2, page 156
  NO lady fair in hall or bower, / In days when knighthood was in flower, / Or high-born dame with jewels set, / Or Tudor or Plantagenet, / E’er wore enwreath’d on form and face / Thy royal robe of richest grace.
  1899, James [Mackintosh] Kennedy, “To Queen Alexandra”, in The Scottish and American Poems of James Kennedy, J[ohn] S[tuart] Ogilvie Publishing Company, […], page 197
9. (obsolete) Flour.
  Quotations
  The Flovvers of Grains mix'd vvith VVater vvill make a ſort of Glue.
  1731, John Arbuthnot, “Of the Different Intentions to be Pursued in the Choice of Aliment in Different Constitutions”, in An Essay Concerning the Nature of Aliments, and the Choice of Them, According to the Different Constitutions of Human Bodies. […], 1st Irish edition, Dublin: […] S. Powell, for George Risk, […], George Ewing, […], and William Smith, […], prop[osition] VII, page 86
10. (in the plural, chemistry, obsolete) A substance in the form of a powder, especially when condensed from sublimation.
  Quotations
  Exposed to a moderate fire in subliming pots, [brimstone] rises all into dry, and almost tasteless, flowers; whereas being exposed to a naked fire, it affords store of a saline and fretting liquor.
  1661, Robert Boyle, “(please specify the page)”, in The Sceptical Chymist: or Chymico-physical Doubts & Paradoxes, […], London: […] J. Cadwell for J. Crooke, […]
11. A figure of speech; an ornament of style.
12. (printing) Ornamental type used chiefly for borders around pages, cards, etc.
  Quotations
  I pointed out to the late Mr. Catherwood, of the firm of Caslon and Catherwood, the inconvenience of both these modes of cutting flowers,
  1841, William Savage, A Dictionary of the Art of Printing
13. (in the plural, obsolete) Menstrual discharges.
  Quotations
  And if any man lye with her at all, and her flowers be vpon him, hee shall be vncleane seuen dayes: and all the bed whereon he lyeth, shall be vncleane.
  1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], Leviticus 15:24
14. A delicate, fragile, or oversensitive person.
  Quotations
  […] she whispered leaning over and kissing her forehead; and then added, 'Mummy loves you, precious flower.'
  2015, Sally Chiwuzie, Silent Symphonies
  “Take care of yourself out there, Brown, you delicate flower.”
  2016, Barbara Ann Wright, Paladins of the Storm Lord
  “Come on, you delicate flower, we just need to nap. It will be fine.”
  2021, Alica McKenna-Johnson, The Unicorn's Scion
15. Credit, recognition.
verb
third-person singular simple present flowers, present participle flowering, simple past and past participle flowered
1. (intransitive) To put forth blooms.
2. (transitive) To decorate with pictures of flowers.
3. (intransitive) To reach a state of full development or achievement.
  Quotations
  when flowr'd my youthful spring
  1579, Immeritô [pseudonym; Edmund Spenser], “December. Aegloga Duodecima.”, in The Shepheardes Calender: […], London: […] Hugh Singleton, […]; republished as The Shepheardes Calender […], London: […] Iohn Wolfe for Iohn Harrison the yonger, […], 1586,
  It only needed watering to take root, to flower and to fructify, and the watering came in due course.
  1940 Mahadev Desai, translator, Mahatma Gandhi, An Autobiography, Part III (IX) The Story of My Experiments with Truth/Part III/Simple Life, original published 1927-1929
  In life after life of this now-expanded circle of women artists, writers and revolutionaries, the same appeared: a flowing of creative insight and vision seemed the follow a sexual flowering.
  2012, Naomi Wolf, Vagina: A New Biography, page 43
4. (archaic, intransitive) To froth; to ferment gently, as new beer.
  Quotations
  That beer did flower a little.
  1631, Francis [Bacon], “(please specify |century=I to X)”, in Sylua Syluarum: Or A Naturall Historie. In Ten Centuries. […], 3rd edition, London: […] William Rawley; [p]rinted by J[ohn] H[aviland] for William Lee […]
5. (intransitive) To come off as flowers by sublimation.
  Quotations
  observations which have flowered off
  , [John Milton], Of Education. To Master Samuel Hartlib, [London: […] Thomas Underhill and/or Thomas Johnson]

flower²

/ˈfləʊə/

noun
plural flowers
1. (rare) Something that flows, such as a river.
  Quotations
  Leaving the weavers’ village behind you, and crossing the sandy bed of the Vengavati or ‘Swift-flower,’ which, however, contained not a drop of water, you reach the ancient Jain temple.
  1886–1890, J. D. Rees, Narratives of Tours in India, page 340
  Rhŏdănus, i, m. The Rhodanus (now Rhone); a river of Gaul [prob. a northern word, meaning “Swift-flower or Swift-passer”].
  1888, John T. White, The Seventh Book of Cæsar’s Gallic War with a Vocabulary, page 224
  sará-yu, f. [swift flower: √sri] N. of a river (in Oudh), in C. gnly. û.
  1893, Arthur A. MacDonnell, A Sanskrit-English Dictionary, page 340
  one that flows with force and speed; the fast flower
  1959, Scottish Studies, volumes 3-4, page 92
  Bonnie partner with Scottish flower (5) [as a clue for CLYDE]
  2019 August 24, Radio Times Crossword

Definition of "flower"

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flower2

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flower²