language of flowers

Blooms convey meaning

The language of flowers is a system of meanings assigned to different flowers and plants, used to send coded messages—especially romantic ones—through bouquets.

A red rose conveys passionate love; a yellow rose, friendship or jealousy; a white lily, purity.

The practice flourished in Victorian England, when direct expression of feelings was constrained by social convention.

Also called floriography.

Related

secret · floristry · bloom · bud · daisy · herbal lore · carnation · tulips · violets · hyacinth · white lily · Victorian literature · love token · stem · daffodils · chrysanthemums · lilies · posies

Categories
Opposites
mode of communication

language of flowersverbal communication

Exchange through spoken language

spoken word · plain speech · direct speech · written language · spoken language

directness of expression

language of flowersstraight talk

Honest, direct communication

unvarnished truth · brutal honesty · spelling it out · cards on the table

cultural register

language of flowersmodern slang

Recently coined informal expressions

blurt · emoji · casual speech · locker room talk · social media post

Family

language, languages, linguistic, linguist, linguistics, lingua, lingual, bilingual, multilingual

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Top 500,000
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Used worldwide · Timeless · Positive · Rated G