flora

noun, plural flo·ras, flo·rae

[flawr-ee, flohr-ee] , for 2.

the plants of a particular region or period, listed by species and considered as a whole.

a work systematically describing such plants.

plants, as distinguished from fauna.

the aggregate of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms normally occurring on or in the bodies of humans and other animals: intestinal flora.

Origin:
1655–65; < Neo-Latin, Latin Flōra the Roman goddess of flowers (used from the 17th cent. in the titles of botanical works), derivative of Latin flōr- (stem of flōs) flower

Related forms

sub·flo·ra, noun, plural sub·flo·ras, sub·flo·rae.

Relevant Questions

What Is Normal Flora?

What Is Flora And Fauna?

What Is Normal Flora?

What Is Flora And Fauna?

00:10

Flora is always a great word to know.

So is bezoar. Does it mean:

a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.

an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.

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Dictionary.com Unabridged

noun

a female given name.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To flora

Collins

World English Dictionary

flora (ˈflɔːrə)

—n , pl -ras, -rae
1.	all the plant life of a given place or time
2.	a descriptive list of such plants, often including a key for identification
3.	short for intestinal flora

[C18: from New Latin, from Latin Flōra goddess of flowers, from flōsflower]

Flora (ˈflɔːrə)

—n
	the Roman goddess of flowers

[C16: from Latin, from flōs flower]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

flora

1777, "the plant life of a region or epoch," from L. Flora Roman goddess of flowers, from flos (gen. floris) "flower," from *flo-s-, Italic suffixed form of PIE *bhle- extended form of *bhel- (3) "to thrive, bloom," possibly identical with *bhel- (2) "to blow, swell" (see

bole). Used as the title of descriptive plant catalogues since 1640s, but popularized by Linnaeus in his 1745 study of Swedish plants, "Flora Suecica."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

flora flo·ra (flôr'ə)
n. pl. flo·ras or flo·rae (flôr'ē')

Plants considered as a group.
The microorganisms that normally inhabit a bodily organ or part.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage

Science Dictionary

flora

(flôr'ə) Pronunciation Key
Plural floras or florae (flôr'ē')

The plants of a particular region or time period.
The bacteria and other microorganisms that normally inhabit a bodily organ or part, such as the intestine.

American Heritage

Cultural Dictionary

flora [(flawr-uh)]

Plants, especially the plants of a particular place and time.

Example sentences from the web

Flora the flora of lower silesia is specific and different for each zone.

The flora of lower silesia is strongly influenced by geological and climatic history.

A coral reef handbook a guide to the geology, flora and fauna of the great barrier reef.

All three mountain ranges are unique with their own flora and fauna.

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grandiflora heterochthonous inflorescence mycoflora nature trail nival

Matching Quote

"Emerson was the greater artist. His essays contain some of the most beautiful language in our literature. How Henry James could have thought he had never developed a "style" is to me one of the mysteries of criticism. Thoreau in Walden comes close to the master, but he falls behind in the homeliness of his details and in the occasional smugness of his social satire. It almost seems as if he were reacting against the chiseled beauty of Emerson's prose. The latter's sentences were so fine that he needed nothing else. They became, like marble statues, part of the garden that was Concord. Their composer, serene, calm, detached, bland in speech and manner, the soft-spoken philosopher revered by all, did not often trouble himself on his strolls in the woods and along the river to pluck the flowers or feed squirrels or even identify the different species of flora and fauna. As Thoreau observed, he wouldn't have been willing to trundle a wheelbarrow through the streets of Concord because it would have seemed out of character. Emerson communed with nature on a spiritual level, using his eyes to take in the landscape and his lungs the fresh air. He had no needs to brace himself with cold or rain or spend the night under the stars."

-Louis Auchincloss

flora

flo·ra

Flo·ra