what does FLOURISH mean in the context of shakespeare.

ie. [flourish and shout]

flourish

v.
flour.ished,flour.ish.ing,flour.ish.es
v.intr.
To grow well or luxuriantly; thrive:

The crops flourished in the rich bottomland.
To do or fare well; prosper:

¡°No village on the railroad failed to flourish¡±(John Kenneth Galbraith)

To be in a period of highest productivity, excellence, or influence:

an anonymous poet who flourished in the tenth century; painted when Impressionism was flourishing.

To make bold, sweeping movements:

The banner flourished in the wind.

To wield, wave, or exhibit dramatically.

A dramatic or stylish movement, as of waving or brandishing:

¡°A few . . . musicians embellish their performance with a flourish of the fingers¡±(Frederick D. Bennett)

An embellishment or ornamentation:

signed her name with a distinctive flourish; a long speech with many rhetorical flourishes.

An ostentatious act or gesture:

a flourish of generosity.

Music A showy or ceremonious passage, such as a fanfare.

flour¡°isher
n.

flourish,brandish,wave
The central meaning shared by these verbs is ¡°to swing back and forth boldly and dramatically¡±:

flourished her newly signed contract;

brandish a sword;

waving a baton.

flourish
[5flQrIF]
vi., vt.

flourish flags

a flourishing business

Plants flourish in this earth.

Plants will not flourish without water.

The company has really flourished since the chief engineer joined us.

Chaucer flourished at the end of the 14th century.

The dramatist flourished around 1930.

flourish
n.

They showed us about the house with much flourish.

She waved to us with a flourish.

Probably "A showy or ceremonious passage, such as a fanfare." Does the word show up in the stage directions?

=)

Yes, in the context of Shakespeare, the word "flourish" typically appears in stage directions. It is often used to indicate a showy or ceremonious musical or visual effect, such as a fanfare. When you see the stage direction "[flourish and shout]" in a Shakespearean play, it means that there should be a grand and celebratory sound accompanying the scene, often performed by musicians or trumpets. This adds a dramatic and festive element to the performance. So, in this case, "flourish" refers to a musical flourish or fanfare that punctuates the action on stage.