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.—
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.
(α).
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.—
(β).
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.—
(γ).
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.
(α).
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.—
(β).
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.
(α).
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.—
(β).
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.
(α).
With abl.: “florentes viribus anni,” Sil. 1, 226; so, “anni vigore,” Petr. 132: “animus vino,” joyous, Gell. 6, 13, 4.—
(β).
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.
