flora — the plants that are characteristic of a region or time period
flora — the Spanish cognate of the same meaning
First, I want to share with you this concise explanation from merriam-webster.com:
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.
Associating our English word “flower” with the words “flora” and “floral,” helps you easily learn and remember the Spanish word for “flower” which is “flor.” “Flor” is a feminine word, so it would be “la flor” for “the flower.” Alone it sounds like the English word “floor,” so sometimes students would get confused with the Spanish word “flor.” Picture a “floral” arrangement, and then shorten the word to “flor” and now picture just a single “flower” to help you remember “flor” for “flower.”
When the word becomes plural in Spanish, it becomes “flores,” so often I would have students saying “flore” instead of “flor” for a single flower. They would drop the “s” only from the plural word, but that is incorrect. In Spanish, when a noun ends in a consonant, you add “es” to make the word plural; thus, “flor” becomes “flores” for “flowers.”
In the quote above, the words “floral” and “floret” are mentioned. They are both cognates in Spanish — “floral” and “florete.” A “floret” is a small flower or a cluster of flower buds. “Flourish” is also mentioned, and its etymology goes back to Latin’s flor, which means “flower,” because its original meaning deals with growing in a thriving fashion like a healthy plant does. Knowing the relation of “flourish” to “flower” can help you see that in Spanish the word is “florecer” — see how that starts with “flor” for “flower!”
Every day I go outside and water my “flores.” I love summer for many reasons, and “flowers” are one of those reasons. A few flowers have easy-to-recognize cognates: “rosas,” “tulipanes,” “violetas,” “geranios,” “irises,” and “gladiolos” among others.
Until next time. Take a moment and smell some flowers today, and then share this post with someone who might enjoy learning about words. Tell that person to subscribe, too.
Thanks.
Tammy Marshall
Flora