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DictionaryRoot: -idus
Latin

-idus

having a quality or being in a state

Forms

  • -idus
  • -id — The Latin ending shortened in English.

Origin

A Latin descriptive ending often associated with a state or condition.

Note

It describes a quality rather than a separate action.

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adjective

florid

FLOR-id/ˈflɔːrɪd/

Excessively elaborate or showy in style.

The mirror's florid frame crowds its tiny center with gilded scrolls and roses.

A small mirror nearly overwhelmed by its disproportionately broad, extravagantly decorated frame: layered gilded scrolls, carved roses, curling leaves and scalloped flourishes crowd around a tiny usable reflective center.
Etymology
florLatinflower
+idLatinhaving a quality or being in a state

The flower image developed into the sense of being profusely adorned, as with flowers. Applied to style, florid describes ornament so abundant that it seems excessive.

In context

San Francisco Public Library16:22
a lot of the Spanish seemed very florid and very impenetrable to me.
50 Years of 100 Years of Solitude at the San Francisco Public Library

More examples

  • The editor cuts the florid descriptions to keep the story moving.
  • Her florid speech is full of extravagant praise.
  • The mirror's florid frame overwhelms the otherwise simple room.

Forms

florid · more florid · most florid

floridly adverb — In an excessively elaborate or showy manner.

Similar words

ornate
Emphasizes intricate decoration without necessarily suggesting excess.
flowery
Especially describes language overloaded with decorative phrases and imagery.
overblown
Emphasizes exaggerated grandeur or importance rather than intricate decoration.