From PIE *bʰleh₃- (to bloom) — the same word as 'flour,' since millers called their finest product the 'flower' of the wheat.
The seed-bearing part of a plant, consisting of reproductive organs typically surrounded by brightly coloured petals and green sepals.
From Anglo-Norman "flur," Old French "flor" (modern French "fleur"), from Latin "flōrem," accusative of "flōs" ("flower, blossom"), tracing to Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₃- ("to bloom, to flower"). The PIE root produced a wide family: Proto-Germanic *blōaną gave Old English "blōstm" ("blossom") and "blōwan" ("to bloom"), while Latin developed the f- branch through regular sound change from PIE *bʰ-. English "flower" replaced the native Old English "blōstm" after the Norman Conquest, though "blossom" survived with a narrower