flower(2) (iou) and Chemical (as used in expressions) (sh)

flower(2) (iou)

flower verb. ME.
[from the noun, prob. after Old French florir, flourir FLOURISH verb.]
I. verb intrans.
Come into or be in flower; blossom, bloom. ME.
b. fig. Foll. by into, to: develop into. M19.
E. J. Howard A contentment that flowered..almost to ecstasy. Philadelphia Inquirer She has flowered into young womanhood.
fig. Be in or attain one's fullest perfection, the highest stage in one's development, etc. Formerly, foll. by in, of: thrive in respect of, abound in. ME.
Day Lewis We who 'flowered' in the Thirties/were an odd lot.
Of beer or Wine: froth, mantle. LME-M18.
II. verb trans.
Cover (as) with flowers. Also foll. by over. Now rare. LME.
W. Bartram Its thick foliage..is flowered over with large milk-white..blossoms.
Decorate with (esp. embroidered) representations of flowers or with floral patterns. E16.
transf.: M. Arnold The frost flowers the whiten'd window-panes.
Horticulture. Induce (a plant) to flower. M19.
flowering noun (a) in pl., figures of flowers; (b) sing. blossoms collectively; (c) the action of the verb, the process of coming into flower: ME.