FLOURISH, v.i. flur'ish. [L. floresco, from floreo. The primary sense is to open, expand, enlarge, or to shoot out, as in glory, L. ploro.]

1. To thrive; to grow luxuriantly; to increase and enlarge, as a healthy growing plant. The beech and the maple flourish best in a deep, rich and moist loam.
2. To be prosperous; to increase in wealth or honor. Bad men as frequently prosper and flourish, and that by the means of their wickedness. Nelson. When all the workers of iniquity do flourish. Ps. xcii.
3. To grow in grace and in good works; to abound in the consolations of religion. The righteous shall flourish like the palm-tree. Ps. xcii.
4. To be in a prosperous state; to grow or be augmented. We say agriculture flourishes, commerce flourishes, manufactures flourish.
5. To use florid language; to make a display of figures and lofty expressions; to be copious and flowery. They dilate and flourish long on little incidents. Watts.
6. To make bold strokes in writing; to make large and irregular lines; as, to flourish with the pen.
7. To move or play in bold and irregular figures. Impetuous spread The stream, and smoking, flourish'd o'er his head. Pope.
8. In music, to play with bold and irregular notes, or without settled form; as, to flourish on an organ or violin.
9. To boast; to vaunt; to brag.

1. To adorn with flowers or beautiful figures, either natural or artificial; to ornament with any thing showy.
2. To spread out; to enlarge into figures. Bacon.
3. To move in bold or irregular figures; to move in circles or vibrations by way of show or triumph; to brandish; as, to flourish a sword.
4. 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. Collier.
5. To adorn; to embellish. Shak.
6. To mark with a flourish or irregular stroke. The day book and inventory book shall be flourished. French Com. Code. Walsh.

1. Beauty; showy splendor. The flourish of his sober youth. Crashaw.
2. Ostentatious embellishment; ambitious copiousness or amplification; parade of words and figures; show; as, a flourish of rhetoric; a flourish of wit. He lards with flourishes his long harangue. Dryden.
3. Figures formed by bold, irregular lines, or fanciful strokes of the pen or graver; as the flourishes about a great letter. More.
4. A brandishing; the waving of a weapon or other thing; as, the flourish of a sword.

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 adorn with flowers orbeautiful figures, either natural or artificial; to ornament with anything showy; to embellish.
   
   
   [Obs.] Fenton.
3. A flourishing condition; prosperity; vigor.
   
   
   [Archaic]

   The Roman monarchy, in her highest flourish, never had the like. Howell.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. Decoration; ornament; beauty.
   
   

   The flourish of his sober youth
   Was the pride of naked truth. Crashaw.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. To develop; to make thrive; to expand.
    
    
    [Obs.]

    Bottoms of thread . . . which with a good needle, perhaps may be flourished into large works. Bacon.

12. A fanciful stroke of the pen or graver; a merely decorative figure.
    
    

    The neat characters and flourishes of a Bible curiously printed. Boyle.

13. To make ornamental strokes with the pen; to write graceful, decorative figures.
14. 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.

15. To execute an irregular or fanciful strain of music, by way of ornament or prelude.
    
    

    Why do the emperor's trumpets flourish thus? Shak.

16. The waving of a weapon or other thing; a brandishing; as, the flourish of a sword.
17. To boast; to vaunt; to brag.
    
    
    Pope.