flower
526
flowers
anther
petals
stamens
stigma
style
sepal
ovary
stalk
daisy
buttercup
dandelion
crocus
snowdrop
daffodil
iris
chrysanthemum
tulip
rose
flower² v [I] 1 (of a plant) to produce flowers: This bush flowers in the spring. | flowering plants 2 fml to be fully developed; be in its best state: His genius as a painter flowered very early.
'flower ar,ranging n [U] the art of arranging fresh or dried (DRY) flowers in an attractive way. It is usually done by women, as a HOBBY and is often taught at evening classes.
flow-er-bed /'flaʊəbed||-ər-/ also bed n a piece of prepared ground in which flowers are grown
'flower ,child n pl. children /'tʃɪldrən/ AmE one of the FLOWER PEOPLE
flow-ered /'flaʊəd||-ərd/ adj decorated with flower patterns: flowered dress material
'flower girl n 1 BrE a girl or woman who sells flowers in a street or market 2 AmE a little girl who carries flowers in a wedding procession → compare BRIDESMAID, BEST MAN, MATRON OF HONOUR, PAGEBOY
flow-er-ing /'flaʊərɪŋ/ n [S] a high point of development: Many would say the Renaissance saw the finest flowering of European culture.
'flower ,people BrE || 'flower ,children AmE → n [the P] young people in the 1960s and 1970s who were in favour of peace, love, and beauty and often carried flowers to show their beliefs. They were known for their long hair, unusual clothes, and use of SOFT DRUGS (=illegal drugs such as marijuana that are not considered to be very harmful). In the US, they joined the protests against the Vietnam War and used the phrase 'Make Love not War' → see also HIPPIE
flow-er-pot /'flaʊəpɒt||-ərpɑːt/ n a plastic or clay pot in which plants can be grown
'Flowerpot ,Men, The → see BILL AND BEN
'flower ,power n [U] the beliefs and way of life of the flower people, thought of especially in connection with certain events, for example the POP music FESTIVAL at Woodstock
flow-er-y /'flaʊəri/ adj 1 decorated with flowers: a flowery pattern 2 usually derog (of speech or writing) full of fanciful words and expressions; not expressed simply and clearly
flow-ing /'fləʊɪŋ/ adj [A] moving, curving, or hanging gracefully: The letter was written in flowing handwriting. —ly adv
flown /fləʊn/ past participle of FLY
'flow sheet n AmE for FLOWCHART
fl. oz. n written abbrev. for FLUID OUNCE
flu /flu:/ also influenza fml — n [U] an infectious disease which is like a bad cold but more serious: She's in bed with flu.
flub /flʌb/ v [I;T] AmE infml to make a mistake: He flubbed his lines. | I really flubbed that test.
fluc·tu·ate /'flʌktʃueɪt/ v [I] to change continually or frequently: The price of vegetables fluctuates according to the weather. | His feelings fluctuated between excitement and fear. —ation /ˌflʌktʃu'eɪʃən/ n [C;U (in)]
flue /flu:/ n a metal pipe or tube, especially in a chimney, through which smoke or heat passes: The fire won't burn because the flue's blocked up.
flu·ent /'flu:ənt/ adj 1 [(in)] (of a person) speaking, writing, or playing a musical instrument in an easy smooth manner: He is fluent in five languages. 2 (of speech, writing etc) expressed readily and without pause: She speaks fluent English. —ly adv —ency n [U(in)]
fluff¹ /flʌf/ n 1 [U] thin soft hair or feathers; DOWN 2 [U] especially BrE soft light loose waste from woollen or other materials: The room hasn't been properly cleaned; there's fluff and dust under the furniture. 3 [C] infml an awkward unsuccessful attempt, especially at acting or at playing a stroke in a game → see BIT OF FLUFF
fluff² v [T] 1 [(OUT, UP)] to make (something soft) appear larger by shaking or by brushing or pushing upwards: The bird fluffed (out) its feathers in the sun. 2 infml to do (something) badly or unsuccessfully: The actress fluffed her lines. (=forgot what she had to say) | The cricketer fluffed the catch. (=dropped the ball he was trying to catch)
fluff·y /'flʌfi/ adj like or covered with fluff: a fluffy little kitten —iness n [U]
flu·id¹ /'flu:ɪd/ adj † having the quality of flowing, like liquids, air, gas etc; not solid 2 unsettled; not fixed: We've only just begun to plan the work, and our ideas on the subject are still fluid. —ity /flu:'ɪdɪti/ n [U]
fluid² n [C;U] 1 a liquid: The doctor removed some fluid from her injured knee. | He's still very weak, and must be fed fluids only. 2 tech any fluid substance
,fluid 'ounce n (a unit of liquid measurement equal to) 0.05 (1/20) of a PINT or 0.0284 of a litre in Britain, and to 0.0626 (1/16) of a pint in the US
fluke /flu:k/ n infml a piece of accidental good fortune: He passed his examination by a fluke; he knew very little about his subject. | a fluke discovery—fluky, -ey adj: a fluky shot
flume /flu:m/ n a sloped channel through which water flows: The creek is diverted into a concrete flume just above the town.
flum·mox /'flʌmɒks/ v [T] infml to confuse completely: She was completely flummoxed by the second question.
flung /flʌŋ/ past tense & participle of FLING
flunk /flʌŋk/ v infml, especially AmE 1 [I;T] to fail (an examination or study course): 'Did you pass?' 'No, I flunked.' | He flunked chemistry. 2 [T] to mark the examination answers of (someone) as unsatisfactory: The teacher flunked her.
flunk out phr v [I;(of)] AmE infml to be dismissed from a school or college for failure: He flunked out of college but went on to become a successful businessman.
flun·key, -ky /'flʌŋki/ n 1 sometimes derog a male servant in ceremonial dress 2 derog a person who tries to win someone's favour by behaving with too much respect and obedience or by over-praising them: The princess was always surrounded by flunkeys.
flu-o-res-cent /ˌflʊə'resənt||fluə-, flɔ:-/ adj 1 (of a substance) having the quality of giving out bright white light when electric or other waves are passed through 2 (of lighting) producing light by means of electricity passed through a tube covered with fluorescent material 3 (of colours) very bright and seeming to give out light: She was wearing a fluorescent pink t-shirt. —cence n [U]
flu-o-ri-date /'flʊərɪdeɪt||'fluə-, 'flɔ:-/ v [T] to add fluoride to (a water supply) in order to protect people's teeth —dation /ˌflʊərɪ'deɪʃən||ˌfluə-, ˌflɔ:-/ n [U]
flu-o-ride /'flʊəraɪd/ n [U] a compound of fluorine, especially one that helps protect teeth against decay, contained in many TOOTHPASTES