LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
verbsecond conjugation, no passive, no supine stem

flōreō

flōreō (present infinitive flōrēre, perfect active flōruī)
Classical[ˈfɫoː.re.oː]Ecclesiastical[ˈflɔː.re.o]
flōrēns pres. act. ptcp.

Meaning

  1. to bloom, blossom, flower
    ‘sī bene flōruerint segetēs, erit āreā dīves; sī bene flōruerit vīnea, Bacchus erit; sī bene flōruerint oleae, nitidissimus annus,“If the crops blossom well, the threshing floor will be rich; if the vineyard blossoms well, Bacchus will be [pleased]; if the olive trees blossom well, the year [will be] most polished [with oil], and fruits [will also] have the prosperity of this season.” (Translating the Latin future perfect tense as English present tense. The poetic voice is that of Flora (mythology).)8 CE, Ovidius, Fasti 5.263–266
  2. to flourish; prosper, abound with; be filled with
  3. to be colorful, bright
  4. to froth

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

Conjugation conjugation 2 no-supine

active indicative
formpresentimperfectfutureperfectpluperfectfut. perfect
1st sg.flōreōflōrēbamflōrēbōflōruīflōrueramflōruerō
2nd sg.flōrēsflōrēbāsflōrēbisflōruistīflōruerāsflōrueris
3rd sg.flōretflōrēbatflōrēbitflōruitflōrueratflōruerit
1st pl.flōrēmusflōrēbāmusflōrēbimusflōruimusflōruerāmusflōruerimus
2nd pl.flōrētisflōrēbātisflōrēbitisflōruistisflōruerātisflōrueritis
3rd pl.flōrentflōrēbantflōrēbuntflōruērunt
flōruēre		flōruerantflōruerint
active subjunctive
active subjunctive
formpresentimperfectperfectpluperfect
1st sg.flōreamflōrēremflōruerimflōruissem
2nd sg.flōreāsflōrērēsflōruerīsflōruissēs
3rd sg.flōreatflōrēretflōrueritflōruisset
1st pl.flōreāmusflōrērēmusflōruerīmusflōruissēmus
2nd pl.flōreātisflōrērētisflōruerītisflōruissētis
3rd pl.flōreantflōrērentflōruerintflōruissent
imperative
imperative
formactivepassive
pres. 2nd sg.flōrē—
pres. 2nd pl.flōrēte—
fut. 2nd sg.flōrētō—
fut. 3rd sg.flōrētō—
fut. 2nd pl.flōrētōte—
fut. 3rd pl.flōrentō—
infinitives & participles
formactivepassive
present infinitiveflōrēre—
perfect infinitiveflōruisse—
present participleflōrēns
flōrente, flōrentem, flōrentēs, flōrentī, flōrentia, flōrentibus, flōrentis, flōrentīs, flōrentium		—
gerundflōrendī, flōrendō, flōrendum

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

dicendi arte florere
to be very eloquent.
summa gloria florere
to have reached the highest pinnacle of eminence.
poetica laude florere
to be distinguished as a poet.
opibus maxime florere
to be very rich; to be in a position of affluence.
gloria, laude florere
to be very famous, illustrious.
aetate florere, vigere
to be in the prime of life.
florere gratia alicuius
to be highly favoured by; to be influential with...
eloquentiae laude florere
to be a distinguished orator.
4 more phrases
generis antiquitate florere
to be of noble family.
auctoritate valere or florere
to possess great authority; to be an influential person.
homo florens in populari ratione
a democratic leader.
opibus, gratia, auctoritate valere, florere
to have great influence.

flōrĕo, ŭi, 2, v. n. flos,
I. to bloom, blossom, flower (class.; esp. freq. in the trop. sense; cf.: floresco, vigeo).
I. Lit.: per terras frondent atque omnia florent, Lucr. 5, 214: florere omnia, Poët. ap. Cic. Tusc. 1, 28, 69: haec arbor una (lentiscus) ter floret, Cic. Div. 1, 9, 16: possetne uno tempore florere, deinde vicissim horrere terra? id. N. D. 2, 7, 19: imputata floret usque vinea, Hor. Epod. 16, 44: vinea, segetes, Ov. F. 5, 263 sq.: narcisso floreat alnus, Verg. E. 8, 52: florentes ferulae, id. ib. 10, 25.— Poet.: si bene floreat annus, Ov. F. 5, 327.—
B. Transf.
1. (Acc. to flos, I. B.) Of wine, to froth: si vinum florere incipiet, Col. 12, 30, 1: vina quoque in magnis operose condita cellis Florent, Ov. F. 5, 270.—
2. To get the first downy beard: libat florentes haec tibi prima (dies) genas, Mart. 3, 6, 4.—
3. To be filled with, to abound with any thing (ante-class. and poet.): mare velis florere videres, Cato ap. Charis. p. 185; cf.: mare velivolis florebat puppibus, Lucr. 5, 1442; cf.: hinc laetas urbes pueris florere videmus, id. 1, 255 Lachm.: Hybla multis thymis, Ov. P. 2, 7, 26: jam pridem regio ... undat equis floretque viris, Val. Fl. 1, 547.—
4. To bloom, i. e. to be bright with varied colors: pampineo gravidus autumno Floret ager, of the ripening fruits, Verg. G. 2, 6; of an army on the march: variis floret via discolor armis, Val. Fl. 5, 565; cf.: floret cristatus exercitus undique turmis, Claud. III. Cons. Hon. 133.—
5. To be bright (cf. P. a. infra): lumina floruisse, Tert. Apol. 11: caelum luminibus floruisset, id. adv. Marc. 4, 42.—
II. Trop., to be in a flourishing or prosperous condition, to flourish, be in good repute, to be eminent, distinguished, etc.; constr. with the abl. and absol.
A. Of persons and animate things.
(a). With abl.: in sua patria multis virtutibus ac beneficiis floruit princeps, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 49, § 128: privatis officiis et ingenii laude floruit, id. de Or. 3, 2, 7: omni genere virtutis, id. Brut. 7, 28: cum acumine ingenii tum admirabili quodam lepore dicendi, id. Ac. 2, 6, 16: honoribus et rerum gestarum gloriā, id. de Or. 1, 1, 1: gratiā, auctoritate, gloriā, id. Fam. 4, 13, 2: laudibus, id. ib. 9, 14, 2: nobilitate discipulorum, id. de Or. 3, 35, 141: omnibus copiis (Crotoniatae), id. Inv. 2, 1, 1: tria genera dicendi, quibus quidam floruerunt, id. Or. 5, 20.—
(b). With in and abl.: in re militari Epaminondas, Nep. Epam. 5: ille vir, qui in Curia, in Rostris, in re publica floruisset, etc., Cic. Cael. 24, 59: in foro, id. Ac. 2, 1, 1: in sententis senatoriis et in omni actione atque administratione rei publicae, id. Fam. 1, 9, 2: in senectute, id. Lael. 1, 4.—
(g). Absol.: ergo in Graecia musici floruerunt, Cic. Tusc. 1, 2, 4; id. Ac. 2, 6, 16; cf.: floret Epicurus, id. Off. 3, 33, 116: qui inter illos florebas, id. Quint. 26, 80: cum multis simul floruit, Quint. 3, 1, 9: floruit circa Philippum, id. 12, 10. 6: circum tribus actis impiger annis Floret equus, is in his bloom, prime, Lucr. 5, 884.—
B. Of inanim. and abstr. things.
(a). With abl.: illa vetus (Graecia), quae quondam opibus, imperio, gloria floruit, hoc uno malo concidit, Cic. Fl. 7, 16: familia, quae postea viris fortissimis floruit. id. Phil. 9, 2, 4: doctissimorum hominum familiaritates, quibus semper domus nostra floruit, id. N. D. 1, 3, 6; id. Font. 14, 31: meus ad urbem accessus incredibili hominum multitudine et gratulatione florebat, id. Sest. 63, 131: aliquid floret laudibus, Lucr. 5, 1279.—
(b). Absol.: quae (magna Graecia) nunc quidem deleta est, tunc florebat, Cic. Lael. 4, 13: quae familia admodum floruit, Suet. Ner. 6: quorum auctoritas maxime florebat, Cic. Rep. 2, 34: gloria generis floret, id. Fl. 11, 25: verborum vetus interit aetas, Et juvenum ritu florent modo nata vigentque, Hor. A. P. 62: aetherii dono cessere parentes Aeternum florere genas, to shine in perpetual bloom, perpetual youth, Stat. Th. 1, 705.—Hence, flō-rens, entis, P. a.
A. Lit., shining, glistening, glittering, bright (poet. and in postclass. prose): Ennius et Lucretius florere dicunt omne quod nitidum est, Serv. Verg. A. 7, 804: lucernarum florentia lumina flammis, Lucr. 4, 450; so, smaragdi arcano igne, Stat. Th. 2, 276: postes arcano lumine, id. ib. 1, 210: catervae aere, Verg. A. 7, 804: exercitus insignibus argenteis et aureis, Gell. 5, 5, 2.—
2. Abounding in flowers: vertice de summo semper florentis Hymetti, Ov. M. 7, 702.—Subst.: florens, ntis, f., a garland: do hanc tibi florentem florenti, Plaut. Pers. 5, 1, 18 (cf. B. 1. β infra).—
B. Trop. (acc. to II.), flourishing, prosperous, in the prime, in repute, fine, excellent.
1. Of animate things.
(a). With abl.: complecti hominem florentem aetate, opibus, honoribus, ingenio, liberis, propinquis, affinibus, amicis, Cic. Fam. 2, 13, 2: gratia atque hospitiis florens hominum nobilissimorum, id. Rosc. Am. 6, 15: regina Berenice florens aetate formaque, Tac. H. 2, 81; cf.: ambo florentes aetatibus, Verg. E. 7, 4.—
(b). Absol.: qui te beatum, qui florentem putas, Cic. Par. 2, 18: quos ego florentis atque integros sine ferro viceram, id. Planc. 35, 86: oratores florentes et leviter ornati, id. Or. 6, 20: florens et illustris adolescens, Caes. B. G. 7, 32, 4: exorta semper florentis Homeri species, Enn. ap. Lucr. 1, 124.—Plur. as subst.: flōrentes, um, the prosperous (opp. afflicti), Nep. Att. 11, 4.—
2. Of inanim. and abstr. things.
(a). With abl.: florentes viribus anni, Sil. 1, 226; so, anni vigore, Petr. 132: animus vino, joyous, Gell. 6, 13, 4.—
(b). Absol.: (majores nostri) ex minima tenuissimaque re publica maximam et florentissimam nobis reliquerunt, Cic. Rosc. Am. 18, 50; cf.: civitas (Ubiorum) ampla atque florens, Caes. B. G. 4, 3, 3: invidetur praestanti florentique fortunae, Cic. de Or. 2, 52, 210: florens amicitia (opp. afflicta), id. Quint. 30, 93: quod eo consilio florentissimis rebus domos suas Helvetii reliquissent, uti, etc., Caes. B. G. 1, 30, 3; cf.: neu florentes res suas cum Jugurthae perditis misceret, Sall. J. 83, 1: florentes Etruscorum opes, Liv. 1, 2, 3: florentissima Samnitium castra, Cic. Div. 1, 33, 72: equus florenti aetate, Lucr. 5, 1074: aevo florente puellae, id. 3, 1008; cf.: adhuc florente juventa Fervidus, Hor. A. P. 115: florentissima ejus erat aetas, Liv. 30, 12, 17: nostrum opus tibi probari laetor: ex quo ἄνθη ipsa posuisti, quae mihi florentiora sunt visa tuo judicio, Cic. Att. 16, 11, 1; cf.: modus nullus est florentior in singulis verbis (quam translatio), id. de Or. 3, 41, 166; id. Or. 27, 96: oratio florentissima, Gell. 15, 28, 5; cf. also: florentis facundiae homo, id. 19, 9, 2 —Adv.: flōrenter, flourishingly, famously (late Lat.): florentissime docet, i. e. with great repute, celebrity, Hier. Chron. Euseb. an. 358.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*bʰleh₃-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*bʰléh₃s
  3. Proto-Italic*flōs
  4. Latinflōreō

Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁ti Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁yeti Proto-Italic *-ējō Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ēō Latin -eō Latin flōreō From flōr- (“flower”) + -eō.

Descendants
  • Catalanflorejarfrom Vulgar Latin *flōridiāre
  • Italianfioreggiarefrom Vulgar Latin *flōridiāre
  • Portugueseflorearfrom Vulgar Latin *flōridiāre
  • Spanishflorearfrom Vulgar Latin *flōridiāre
  • Dalmatianinflorer

In English words that came into English from flōreō

  • flourishflorio
  • inflorescenceinflōrēscentia
  • efflorescenceefflōrēscō
  • floridfloridus
  • florescencefloresco
  • effloresceefflōrēscere
  • floruitflōruit
  • florescentflorescens

Quick answers

What does flōreō mean in Latin?
flōreō, a verb, means “to bloom, blossom, flower; to flourish; prosper, abound with”.
What are the principal parts of flōreō?
flōreō, flōrēre, flōruī (second conjugation, no passive, no supine stem).
How do you pronounce flōreō?
In classical Latin, [ˈfɫoː.re.oː]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈflɔː.re.o].
Where does flōreō come from?
Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₃- → Proto-Indo-European *bʰléh₃s → Proto-Italic *flōs → Latin flōreō.
Which English words come from flōreō?
English words that go back to Latin flōreō include flourish, florid, florescence, floruit, florescent and inflorescence.