flora

play

noun flo·ra \ ˈflȯr-ə \

Updated on: 15 Aug 2017

Definition of flora

plural floras also florae play \ˈflȯr-ˌē, -ˌī\

1 :a treatise on or list of the plants of an area or period

2 :plant, bacterial, or fungal life; especially :such life characteristic of a region, period, or special environment

fossil flora

intestinal flora

— compare fauna

See flora defined for English-language learners

See flora defined for kids

Examples of flora in a Sentence

an amazing variety of coastal flora
the floras of different coastal regions

Recent Examples of flora from the Web

The current model is expensive, not great for the environment, and distances us from our local flora and fauna.

— christine buckley, Bon Appetit, "How to Swap Exotic Superfoods for the Local Stuff," 19 July 2017
Among the flora for sale are spinach, kale, strawberries, lettuce, rhubarb, snow apple turnips, salad mixes, beet greens, Yukon gold potatoes.

— donna freedman, Alaska Dispatch News, "Order Bristol Bay sockeye fillets for August delivery; enjoy lots of fresh veggies and flowers right now," 19 July 2017
Platinum Heritage’s overnight desert adventure also focuses on the flora and fauna of the desert, but with an added emphasis on the culture of the region’s indigenous Bedouin nomadic tribes.

— jenny b. davis, star-telegram, "From shimmering sand dunes to glimmering skyscrapers, everything blings in Dubai," 17 July 2017
In this workshop, participants will look closely at a variety of flora material found in the summer to examine their composition in detail.

— Courant Community, "Community News For The Windham Edition," 17 July 2017
Sometimes an identical species was scattered across distant continents, even across vast oceans—as in the case of the Japanese flora found in eastern North America.

— Longreads, "Late in Life, Thoreau Became a Serious Darwinist," 13 July 2017
Nigel and Tuffy turned out to have below-average diversities of intestinal flora.

— jonathan m. gitlin, Ars Technica, "I gave my cat a poop transplant—here’s what happened next," 9 July 2017
Greece’s flora is among the richest in Europe, with about 6,500 native plant species.

— costas kantouris, The Seattle Times, "Trouble brews over wild tea and herbs in Greece," 7 July 2017
But the value of the genetics of the world's flora goes beyond simply being impressed by the feat of evolution that led up to today.

— michael holtz, The Christian Science Monitor, "Extreme botany: How far should we go to save a plant species?," 5 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'flora.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

flora Has Roots in Roman Mythology

Flora means "flower" in Latin, and Flora was the Roman goddess of spring and flowering plants, especially wildflowers and plants not raised for food. She was shown as a beautiful young woman in a long, flowing dress with flowers in her hair, strewing flowers over the earth. English preserves her name in such words as floral, floret, and flourish. A region's flora may range from tiny violets to towering trees. The common phrase "flora and fauna" covers just about every visible living thing.

Origin and Etymology of flora

New Latin, from Latin Flora, Roman goddess of flowers, from Latin flor-, flos

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1777

See Words from the same year

flora Synonyms

Synonyms

greenery, foliage, green, herbage, leafage, vegetation, verdure

Related Words

grassland, prairie; underbrush, undergrowth

Other Ecology Terms

Malthusian, anthropogenic, biomass, carbon footprint, crepuscular, niche, sere, symbiosis, taiga, tundra

FLORA Defined for English Language Learners

flora

play

noun

Definition of flora for English Language Learners

biology : all the plants that live in a particular area, time, period, or environment

FLORA Defined for Kids

flora

play

noun flo·ra \ ˈflȯr-ə \

Definition of flora for Students

:the plant life typical of a region, period, or special environment

Medical Dictionary

flora

play

noun flo·ra \ ˈflōr-ə, ˈflȯr- \

medical Definition of flora

plural floras also florae play \ˈflō(ə)r-ˌē, ˈflȯ(ə)r-, -ˌī\

1 :plant life; especially :the plants characteristic of a region, period, or special environment

fossil flora

— compare fauna

2 :the microorganisms (as bacteria or fungi) living in or on the body

the beneficial flora of the intestine

potentially harmful skin flora

—

floral

play \ˈflōr-əl, ˈflȯr-\ adjective

Learn More about flora

See words that rhyme with flora Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for flora Spanish Central: Translation of flora Nglish: Translation of flora for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of flora for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about flora

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up flora? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

flora

Definition of flora

People Are Reading

Examples of flora in a Sentence

Recent Examples of flora from the Web

flora Has Roots in Roman Mythology

Origin and Etymology of flora

flora Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Other Ecology Terms

FLORA Defined for English Language Learners

flora

Definition of flora for English Language Learners

FLORA Defined for Kids

flora

Definition of flora for Students

Medical Dictionary

flora

medical Definition of flora

floral

Learn More about flora

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

"Immune to" or "Immune from"?

9 Slang Words With Academic Origins

Trending: 'Bodega' Startup Draws Criticism, Mockery

Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

Words of the Year: 1066