(abbreviation) - fl. is an abbreviation of the Latin verb "floruit", meaning "he flourished". (Presumably "she" may also have flourished.) You'll most likely run across fl. in biographical information on artists long dead. These two handy letters denote the date of Whomever's high water mark, career-wise, because we have records of when paintings and sculptures were executed - even if we don't have a clue as to the artist's date of birth.
For example, if you were reading a bit about the Italian painter, Duccio, you might see:
- "fl 1278; d Siena, before 3 Aug 1319"
Which means:
- "Duccio's work was in hot demand by 1278; he died in Siena before August 3rd, 1319."
You have to admit that fl. looks more scholarly than "in hot demand", even if it lacks pizazz. And it is always desirable to have access to known information when reading reference materials. Seeing a hopeful "b" for birth date, followed by a taunting little "?" is as a bucket of cold water thrown in the face of the Duccio researcher. So fl. it is.
