I. ˈflau̇(ə)r, -au̇ə, esp in the South -au̇wə(r noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English, flower, best of anything, flour — more at flower
1.
a. : finely ground meal of wheat ; especially : a commercial product that is obtained by milling and blending wheat more or less completely freed of bran and that consists essentially of starch and gluten of the endosperm — see whole wheat flour
b. : finely ground meal of other cereal grains or seeds (as rye, barley, buckwheat, rice, or bean)
c. : finely ground meal obtained from dried food products other than cereals (as potato, banana, or cassava)
2. : a fine soft powder (as of mineral or plant matter) usually obtained by grinding
silica flour
rock flour
wood flour production utilizes waste by-products and provides fuel for power
3. : fines
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
transitive verb
1. : to convert (as wheat or wood) into flour : grind and bolt : mill , pulverize
2. : to sprinkle or coat with or as if with flour
his coat floured with snow
3. : to break up (mercury) into fine particles — compare deaden 2e
intransitive verb
: to break up into particles: as
a. of mercury : to break into particles and become coated with sulfides so as to become useless for amalgam formation
b. of paint : chalk