flourish: [13] To flourish is etymologically to ‘flower’ – and indeed ‘come into flower, bloom’ is originally what the verb literally meant in English: ‘to smell the sweet savour of the vine when it flourisheth’, Geoffrey Chaucer, Parson’s Tale 1386. The metaphorical ‘thrive’ developed in the 14th century. The word comes from Old French floriss-, the stem of florir ‘bloom’, which goes back via Vulgar Latin *florīre to classical Latin florēre, a derivative of flōs ‘flower’. => flower
flourish (v.)
c. 1300, "to blossom, grow" (intransitive), from Old French floriss-, stem of florir "to blossom, flower, bloom; prosper, flourish," from Latin florere "to bloom, blossom, flower," figuratively "to flourish, be prosperous," from flos "a flower" (see flora). Metaphoric sense of "thrive" is mid-14c. in English. Transitive meaning "brandish (a weapon), hold in the hand and wave about" is from late 14c. Related: Flourished; flourishing.
flourish (n.)
c. 1500, "a blossom," from flourish (v.). Meaning "an ostentatious waving of a weapon" is from 1550s; that of "excessive literary or rhetorical embellishment" is from c. 1600; in reference to decorative curves in penmanship, 1650s; as "a fanfare of trumpets," 1590s.
实用例句
1. Keep the soil moist. That way, the seedling will flourish.
保持土壤湿润，那样幼苗就能茁壮成长。
来自柯林斯例句
2. She tended to finish dancing with a flourish.
她往往以夸张的姿势结束舞蹈。
来自柯林斯例句
3. If left unchecked, weeds will flourish.
如果不加以遏制，杂草就会疯长。
来自柯林斯例句
4. He underlined his signature with a little flourish.
