''Floruit'' ( ;
usually abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
for 'flourished') denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active.
In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a
noun
In grammar, a noun is a word that represents a concrete or abstract thing, like living creatures, places, actions, qualities, states of existence, and ideas. A noun may serve as an Object (grammar), object or Subject (grammar), subject within a p ...
indicating the time when someone flourished.
Etymology and use
is the third-person singular perfect active indicative of the Latin verb ', ' "to bloom, flower, or flourish", from the noun ', ', "flower".
Broadly, the term is employed in reference to the peak of activity for a person or movement. More specifically, it often is used in
genealogy
Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kin ...
and historical writing when a person's birth or death dates are unknown, but some other evidence exists that indicates when they were alive.
For example, if there are
will
Will may refer to:
Common meanings
* Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death
* Will (philosophy), or willpower
* Will (sociology)
* Will, volition (psychology)
* Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will
...
s
attested by John Jones in 1204 and 1229, as well as a record of his marriage in 1197, a record concerning him might be written as "John Jones (fl. 1197–1229)", even though Jones was born before 1197 and died possibly after 1229.
The term is often used in
art history
Art history is the study of Work of art, artistic works made throughout human history. Among other topics, it studies art’s formal qualities, its impact on societies and cultures, and how artistic styles have changed throughout history.
Tradit ...
when dating the career of an artist. In this context, it denotes the period of the individual's known artistic activity,
which would generally be after they had received their training and, for example, had begun signing work or being mentioned in contracts.
In some cases, it can be replaced by the words "active between and ", depending on context and if space or style permits.
See also
*
Reign
A reign is the period of a person's or dynasty's occupation of the office of monarch of a nation (e.g., King of Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia, List of Belgian monarchs, Belgium, Co-princes of Andorra, Andorra), of a people (e.g., List of Frankish kin ...
(r., Latin ')
* ''
Tempore
''Tempore'' (abbreviated to temp.) in historical literature, denotes a period during which a person whose exact lifespan is unknown, was known to have been alive or active, or some other date which is not exactly known, usually given as the rei ...
'' (''temp.'')
*
Family tree
A family tree, also called a genealogy or a pedigree chart, is a chart representing family relationships in a conventional tree structure. More detailed family trees, used in medicine and social work, are known as genograms.
Representations of ...
References
{{Chronology
Latin words and phrases
Verbs