Floruit facts for kids

Floruit, abbreviated fl. (or occasionally flor.), Latin for "he/she flourished", denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the word may also be used as a noun indicating the time when someone flourished.

Etymology and use

Latin: flōruit is the third-person singular perfect active indicative of the Latin verb flōreō, flōrēre "to bloom, flower, or flourish", from the noun flōs, flōris, "flower".

Broadly, the term is employed in reference to the peak of activity for a person, movement, or such. It is used in genealogy and historical writing when a person's birth or death dates are unknown. For example, if there are wills attested by John Jones in 1204 and 1229, and a record of his marriage in 1197, a record concerning him might be written as "John Jones (fl. 1197–1229)".

The term is often used in art history when dating the career of an artist. In this context, it denotes the period of the individual's artistic activity.

In some cases, it can be replaced by the words "active between [date] and [date]", depending on context and if space or style permits.

See also

In Spanish: Floruit para niños