flora(FLOR uh) n. the plants of a region, as distinguished from the animal life
(fauna)
- The floraof the tropics are varied and colorful.
- The further north one goes, the more bountiful the varieties of floraand
fauna become, as long as you are south of the equator.
flourish(FLOER ish) vi. to grow vigorously; succeed; thrive; prosper —vt. to
wave a sword, hand, or hat in the air as a mark of; brandish —n.a musical fanfare - Democracy, which had flourishedfor the citizens of ancient Athens, essen-
tially disappeared until the end of the eighteeth century. - The actor bowed and flourishedhis hat in acknowledgement of the audi-
ence’s applause. - Each time the president speaks at a formal event, a trumpet flourishpre-
cedes his appearance; interestingly that piece is known as “Ruffles and
Flourishes.”
[-ed, -ing] [Syn. prosper]
fluctuate(FLUHK tyoo ayt) vi. 1. to move back and forth or up and down; 2. to
be continuously varying —vt. to cause to fluctuate - The ocean’s tides fluctuatewith the effects from the pull of the sun and the
moon. - The heights of the threads in a shag rug fluctuate,often in a discernible
pattern. - Jan fluctuatesthe size of her weekly bank deposit according to the amount
of tips she receives that week.
[-d, fluctuating] [Syn. vary]
flux(FLUHKS) n. 1. a continuous moving or change; 2. a material that keeps
metals from oxidizing when they are soldered - Fashion is always in a state of flux.
- Public opinion goes through fluxalong with the economy.
- Before soldering copper pipes together, both surfaces to be joined must be
roughed up and coated with fluxpaste.
foible(FOY bil) n. a small weakness of character; a small frailty - Being easily tempted is a foiblemany of us share.
- One of Alessandra’s foiblesis an inability to resist fresh whipped cream.
[Syn. fault]
foment(foh MENT) vt. to stir up (trouble); incite (to riot); instigate - One of President Eisenhower’s favorite words was fomentas he talked of
North Korea’s fomentinga crisis by invading South Korea. - It has been often debated whether the riots at the Democratic National
Convention in Chicago were fomentedby the demonstrators or by the
Chicago Police Department.
[-ed, -ing] [Syn. incite]
E – F: GRE Words 285