Did you know?
You may be familiar with the common phrase “flora and fauna,” which broadly refers to just about every visible living thing. While fauna specifically refers to the animals of a region, flora represents the plants. Flora made its way into English from New Latin via the Latin word flōra, which comes from the name of the Roman goddess of flowers and the flowering season (the time of the year when flowers bloom). Flora, who was depicted as a beautiful young woman in a long, flowing dress with flowers in her hair, strewing flowers over the earth, was especially known for wildflowers and plants not raised for food. Her name also lives on and continues to thrive through the related words floral, floret, and flourish.
Did you know?
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.
Synonyms
Examples of flora in a Sentence
Stephanie Vermillion, Outside Online, 6 Nov. 2024
Catenary's Bloom scratchers, though, take it up a notch, using pet-safe dyes to create a beautiful, natural design mimicking flora and fauna.
—Medea Giordano, WIRED, 5 Nov. 2024
Six generations later, the business still blooms: Their own custom designs, which have been decorator go-tos for decades, retain the flora and fauna of these original references.
—Maya Ibbitson, Architectural Digest, 4 Nov. 2024
The grounds and gardens are densely packed with local flora.
—Geoffrey Morrison, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for flora 
Dictionary Entries Near flora
Cite this Entry
“Flora.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flora. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
flora
noun
Medical Definition
flora
noun
ˈflȯ(ə)r-
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