flōrĕo, ŭi, 2, v. n. [flos], 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.
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 ( Luc. ), 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 ( Luc. ), 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 ( Luc. ), 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.
XVI —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.