flower

flow|er¹ W2S2 [ˈflauə US -ər] n

[Date: 1100-1200; : Old French; Origin: flor, flour, from Latin flos]

1.) a coloured or white part that a plant or tree produces before fruit or seeds

▪ a lovely rose bush with delicate pink flowers

▪ fields full of beautiful wild flowers

↑leaf, ↑petal, ↑stem, ↑stalk

2.) a small plant that produces beautiful flowers

▪ He wasn't interested in growing flowers in the garden.

▪ She bent down and picked a flower .

bunch/bouquet of flowers

▪ The first night we met he gave me a bunch of flowers.

▪ a beautiful flower arrangement (=flowers arranged together in an attractive way)

3.) in flower

a plant or tree that is in flower has flowers on it

▪ It was May, and the apple trees were all in flower.

▪ Roses start to come into flower in June.

4.) the flower of sth

literary the best part of something

▪ young men killed in the flower of their youth

flower ²

flower² v

1.) to produce flowers

▪ Bulbs that you plant in the autumn should flower the following spring.

2.) [i]literary to develop in a very successful way

▪ the economic and social conditions that will allow democracy to flower