Floruit, flō′rū-it, n. the period during which a person flourished. [L., 3d pers. sing. perf. of florēre, to flourish.]
Floscule, flos′kūl, n. a floret.—adjs. Flos′cular, Flos′culous, composed of many floscules or tubular florets. [L. flosculus, dim. of flos, a flower.]
Floss, flos, n. the loose downy or silky substance in the husks of certain plants, as the bean—also Flosh.—n. Floss′-silk, very fine silk fibre extremely soft and downy and with a high lustre, used chiefly for embroidery.—adj. Floss′y. [Prob. O. Fr. flosche, down: or from some Teut. word cog. with fleece—cf. Ice. flos, nap.]
Flota, flō′ta, n. a commercial fleet: formerly the fleet which annually conveyed the produce of America to Spain. [Sp., 'a fleet.']
Flotage. See Floatage.
Flotant, flōt′ant, adj. (her.) floating in air or in water.
Flotation, flo-tā′shun, n. the act of floating: the science of floating bodies: act of floating a company or commercial enterprise.—Plane, or Line, of flotation, the plane or line in which the horizontal surface of a fluid cuts a body floating in it.
Flotilla, flo-til′a, n. a fleet of small ships. [Sp., dim. of flota, a fleet.]
Flotsam, flot′sam, n. goods lost by shipwreck, and found floating on the sea (see Jetsam). [Anglo-Fr. floteson (Fr. flottaison)—O. Fr. floter, to float.]
Flounce, flowns, v.i. to move abruptly or impatiently—n. an impatient gesture. [Prob. cog. with Norw. flunsa, to hurry, Sw. prov. flunsa, to souse.]