• FLOWER

1.

• flos (in all the meanings of the English word). Full of flowers, floridus: gathered flowers, flores carpti or demessi: to come into flower, or full flower [Vid: To FLOWER, INTRANS.] a small flower, flosculus: a full-blown flower, *flos plenus: to deal in flowers, *flores venditare: covered with flowers, floribus vestitus (e.g., meadows, prata): the filament of a flower, *filamentum (floris): pollen of a flower, *pollen: a painter of flowers [Vid: FLOWER-PAINTER]: the stalk of a flower, *pediculus: the goddess of flowers, Flora: the smell or odour of flowers, odores, qui afflantur e floribus (☞ odores also = “aromatic flowers”: malagmata maxime ex odoribus fiunt, Cels.): the tup of a flower, doliolum floris: wreath of flowers, corona florea; corolla (to be distinguished from sertum; i. e., festoon, as occasional ornament for windows, doors, etc.; the corollae were used on solemn occasions; e.g., at a sacrifice, as personal ornament). The ancients also used to communicate sentimental thoughts by means of flower-wreaths, corollae; Vid: Boettiger’s Sabina, 1, p. 230; this mode of correspondence is even now sometimes carried on (in the way of amusement) in Germany, between young lovers, and termed “Blumensprache,” i. e.,” flower-language”: to converse in the language of flowers, *floribus or corollis animi sensus exprimere. To adorn with a wreath of flowers, sertis or floribus redimire.
• In architecture; (carved) flowers, flores encarpa, orum (flowers and leaves entwined).
• FIG.
• Flowers of speech, flores: flosculi. To cull flowers of speech, flosculos carpere atque delibare.
• The best state or specimen of anything, flos; e.g., of youth, juventutis (i. e., the most excellent or distinguished part): robur, or plur., robora, the strongest part, etc. (of Italy, the army, etc.). The flower of the cavalry, validissimi equitum: these troops were the very flower of the army, hoc erat robur exercitus; id roboris in exercitu erat: to lose the flower of his troops, quod roboris in exercitu erat amittere: the flower of the nobility, flos nobilitatis: the flower of virtue, insigne virtutis, laudis: to be the flower of one’s age, exornare nostrae aetatis gloriam: Pompeius, the flower of the empire, Pompeius, decus imperii: Hortensius, the flower of the state, Hortensius, lumen et ornamentum reipublicae: Corinth, the flower of all Greece, Corinthus, Graeciae totius lumen: Gallia-Cisalpina is the flower of Italy, Gallia est flos Italiae. ☞ Flos is used of a single person by Ennius, as apoet, Cethegum... florem populi (ap. Cic., Brut., 15, 58), but in prose it should be decus, lumen, etc. To be in the very flower of one’s age, florere integerrima aetate: the flower of one’s age, aetas florens, optima, integra; aetatis flos: to be in the flower of one’s age, in flore aetatis esse; aetate florere. Dietrich remarks that aliquem florenti aetate esse was not used, but aliquem florentem aetate esse; this, however, does not hold good of poetry; equus florenti aetate: aevo florente puella (Lucr.), Schneider, Jahrb. für Phil., etc., Dec, 1846. To die in the flower of one’s age, exstingui in ipso aetatis flore; in flore aetatis eripi rebus humanis (Curt. 10, 5, 10).

2. v. TRANS. (i. e., to ornament with embroidery), pingere acu; also, pingere only (Verg., Aen., 9, 582, etc.; compare with Plin., 8, 48, 74, § 195).

3.

• v. INTRANS., florere: florescere (to begin to blossom): florem mittere, expellere (to put forth blossoms): efflorescere (IMPROP.): utriculum rumpere: florem aperire: dehiscere (to open the calix): florem expandere, sese pandere: dehiscere ac sese pandere (to come into full flower; Vid: Plin., 12, 11, 23).
• To be in the prime, in flore esse: florere: “to be in the FLOWER of one’s age,” Vid:
• To froth, Vid: FLOWER-BASKET, calathus.