flōs — Lewis & Short
flōs, ōris, m.root fla-; Gr. e)k-flai/nw, to stream forth; cf. flasmo/s; Lat. flare, flamen, etc., v. flo,
I a blossom, flower.
I Lit.:
suaves flores,Lucr. 1, 8:
juvat novos decerpere flores,id. 1, 928:
novi,Hor. C. 4, 1, 32:
recentes,id. ib. 3, 27, 44:
verni,id. ib. 2, 11, 9:
florum omnium varietas,Cic. de Sen. 15, 54:
suavitas odorum, qui afflarentur e floribus,id. ib. 17, 59:
laetissimi flores,Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 48, § 107:
ninguntque rosarum Floribus,Lucr. 2, 628:
flores rosae, rosarum,Hor. C. 2, 3, 14; 3, 29, 3; 4, 10, 4:
piabunt floribus et vino Genium,id. Ep. 2, 1, 144; cf.:
fons Bandusiae, dulci digne mero non sine floribus,id. C. 3, 13, 2:
nitidum caput impedire myrto Aut flore,id. ib. 1, 4, 10:
recte necne crocum floresque perambulet Attae Fabula, si dubitem, etc.,the stage strewed with flowers, id. Ep. 2, 1, 79:
carduus florem purpureum mittit inter medios aculeos,puts forth, Plin. 20, 23, 99, § 262; cf. id. 21, 6, 17, § 31:
legere,Ov. M. 4, 315.—
B Transf.
1 The honey of flowers sucked out by the bees:
rure levis verno flores apis ingerit alveo, Conpleat ut dulci sedula melle favos,Tib. 2, 1, 49; Verg. G. 4, 39; Plin. 11, 7, 7, § 17.—
2 In gen., like the Gr. a)/nqos, for whatever forms either the best part or the highest part of a thing (mostly poet. and in postAug. prose).—
a The flower of any thing, i. e. the prime or best part, also the best kind of any thing: postquam est honoratus frugum et floris Liberi, the bouquet or flavor of wine, Pac. ap. Non. 498, 12; so,
vini (Bacchi),Plaut. Curc. 1, 2, 1; id. Cas. 3, 5, 16; Lucr. 3, 221.—The best kind of oil, Plin. 15, 6, 6, § 23; of wax, id. 21, 14, 49, § 84; of rosin, id. 14, 20, 25, § 124; of salt, id. 13, 1, 2, § 14; Cato, R. R. 88, 2; of meal, Plin. 18, 9, 20, § 86 et saep.; of cream, Vitr. 8, 3; of the finest dish: cenae, Favorin. ap. Gell. 15, 8, 2.—
b The highest part, the top, crown, head of a thing.—Of the froth of wine, Cato, R. R. 11, 2; Col. 12, 30; Plin. 14, 21, 27, § 136.—The blisters, scales that are formed in smelting metals, id. 34, 11, 24, § 107; the upper dust of marble or gypsum, Col. 12, 20, 8.—Poet. of the first downy hairs of the beard: nunc primum opacat flore lanugo genas, Pac. ap. Paul. ex Fest. s. v. genas, p. 94 Müll. N. cr.; Verg. A. 8, 160; Luc. 6, 562:
ante genas dulces quam flos juvenilis inumbret,Claud. in Prob. Cons. Pan. 69.—Donec flammai fulserunt flore coorto, a tip or flash of flame, Lucr. 1, 900.—
3 In archit., carved flowers placed as ornaments on a Corinthian capital, Vitr. 4, 1, 12; on a cupola, id. 4, 8.
II Trop., the flower, crown, ornament of any thing (class.; a favorite flg. of Cic.).
A In gen.:
ea tempestate flos poëtarum fuit (Plautus),Plaut. Cas. prol. 18:
sic omnis fetus repressus, exustusque siti flos veteris ubertatis exaruit,Cic. Brut. 4, 16:
(Ennius) flos delibatus populi ... qua (eloquentia) virum excellentem praeclare tum illi homines florem populi esse dixerunt,id. ib. 15, 58 sq. (cf. Enn. Ann. v. 309 ed. Vahl.):
flos nobilitatis ac juventutis,id. Phil. 2, 15, 37; so, legatorum, id. Fl. 26, 61:
versaris in optimorum civium vel flore vel robore,id. Or. 10, 34; cf.:
quod floris, quod roboris in juventute fuerat, amiserant,Liv. 37, 12, 7:
ex morbo velut renovatus flos juventae,id. 28, 35, 7; 26, 2, 6; Curt. 3, 5, 8:
provincia Galliae ... ille flos Italiae, illud firmamentum imperii populi Romani, illud ornamentum dignitatis,Cic. Phil. 3, 5, 13:
flos dignitatis,id. Balb. 6, 15; cf.:
ego te, Crasse, cum vitae flore, tum mortis opportunitate, divino consilio et ortum et exstinctum esse arbitror,splendor, glory, id. de Or. 3, 3, 12:
in ipso Graeciae flore,in the very flower, the most flourishing condition, id. N. D. 3, 33, 82:
flos aetatis,the flower of one's age, the prime of life, Lucr. 3, 770; 5, 847; cf.:
non venirem contra gratiam, non virtutis spe, sed aetatis flore collectam,Cic. Phil. 2, 2, 3.— Without aetas: Pa. Anni? Ch. Anni? Sedecim. Pa. Flos ipse, Ter. Eun. 2, 3, 28:
viridissimo flore puella,Cat. 17, 14:
in flore primo tantae indolis juvenis exstinctus est,Plin. Ep. 5, 9, 5:
in flore virium se credens esse,Liv. 42, 15, 2:
primus flos animi,youthful vigor, Stat. Ach. 1, 625;
but also: flos animi,ripe age, Sen. Ep. 26:
videmus Vergilium ea de causa hortorum dotes fugisse, et e tantis, quae retulit, flores modo rerum decerpsisse,i. e. the choicest, best, Plin. H. N. 14 praef. § 7.—
2 Transf.: flos aetatis, maidenly or youthful innocence (of girls or boys), virginity:
(virgo) cum castum amisit polluto corpore florem,Cat. 62, 46:
Hasdrubal flore aetatis, uti ferunt, primo Hamilcari conciliatus,Liv. 21, 2, 3; cf. id. 21, 3, 4:
florem aetatis (Caesaris) in Bithynia contaminatum,Suet. Caes. 49.—
B In partic., of speech, a flower, embellishment, ornament:
ut porro conspersa sit (oratio) quasi verborum sententiarumque floribus, etc.,Cic. de Or. 3, 25, 96:
flos aut lumen eloquentiae,id. Brut. 17, 66; cf.:
nullus flos tamen neque lumen ullum (in M. Crassi oratione),id. ib. 66, 233:
florem et colorem defuisse,id. ib. 87, 298:
alia copia locuples, alia floribus laeta,Quint. 8, 3, 87:
male audire ... nimiis floribus et ingenii affluentia,id. 12, 10, 13.