/ˈflaʊ̯.ə/, /ˈflaʊ̯.ɚ/, /flaː(r)/
OriginSpelled (until about 1830) and meaning flower in the sense of flour being the "finest portion of ground grain" (compare French fleur de farine, fine fleur). Doublet of fleur, flor, and flower. Partially displaced native meal.
The U.S. standard of identity comes from 21CFR137.105.
- uncountable, usuallyPowder obtained by grinding or milling cereal grains, especially wheat, or other foodstuffs such as soybeans and potatoes, and used to bake bread, cakes, and pastry.
“Everything a living animal could do to destroy and to desecrate bed and walls had been done. […] A canister of flour from the kitchen had been thrown at the looking-glass and lay like trampled snow ov”
- uncountable, usuallyThe food made by grinding and bolting cleaned wheat (not durum or red durum) until it meets specified levels of fineness, dryness, and freedom from bran and germ, also containing any of certain enzymes, ascorbic acid, and certain bleaching agents.
- uncountable, usuallyPowder of other material.
- transitiveTo apply flour to something; to cover with flour.
- transitiveTo reduce to flour.
- intransitiveTo break up into fine globules of mercury in the amalgamation process.
Formsflours(plural) · flower(alternative) · flours(present, singular, third-person) · flouring(participle, present) · floured(participle, past) · floured(past)