flamboyant

Etymology

Borrowed from French flamboyant (“flaming, wavy”), participle of flamboyer (“to flame”), from Old French flamboier, from flambe (“flame”). The architectural style derives its name from the flame-like shapes in the tracery.

adj

1. Showy, bold or audacious in behaviour, appearance, etc.
   When we see some of the monstrous and flamboyant blossoms that enrich the equatorial woods, we do not feel that they are conflagrations of nature; silent explosions of her frightful energy. We simply find it hard to believe that they are not wax flowers grown under a glass case. 1902, G. K. Chesterton, “The Optimism of Byron”, in Twelve Types
   1920, Frederic Taber Cooper, The Craftsmanship of Writing, Chapter VI: The Question of Clearness, But a scorn of flamboyant neckties and checkerboard trousers is no excuse for going to the opposite extreme of a blue flannel shirt and overalls; […] .
   The unbelievers will say they are but words, but a slogan, but a flamboyant phrase. May 12 1962, Douglas MacArthur, Duty, honor, country
   Health of flamboyant media tycoon who led three Italian governments had deteriorated in recent years[.] 2023-06-12, Angela Giuffrida, Lorenzo Tondo, “Silvio Berlusconi, scandal-ridden former Italian prime minister, dies aged 86”, in The Guardian, →ISSN
2. (architecture) Referring to the final stage of French Gothic architecture from the 14th to the 16th centuries.
   S. Pierre is a flamboyant church, the details passing into Renaissance. 1891, Sabine Baring-Gould, chapter XIX, in In Troubadour-Land: A Ramble in Provence and Languedoc, Avignon
   The second is a chapel of two storeys, the lower dating from 1150, while the upper was rebuilt in the 15th century, and there is a rich Flamboyant entrance with a stairway (1533). 1911, “Bruges”, in Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition
   The nave and central tower, more flamboyant in design, were finished early in the sixteenth century after the original plan. 1913, “Abbey of Saint-Ouen”, in Catholic Encyclopedia
3. Of a blade: forged in a wavy, undulating pattern, like a flame-bladed sword or a kris.
   Ancient swords were frequently “flamboyant,” or with waved edges; more especially those used for purposes of state. The Dukes of Burgundy bore a two-handed sword of this form. Indeed, “flaming swords,” as they were called, were worn down to the times of our Charles II., and perhaps later. 1851-04-12, William John Bernhard-Smith, Notes and Queries, volume s1-III, number 76, London: Bell & Daldy, →ISSN, page 292

noun

1. The royal poinciana (Delonix regia), a showy tropical tree.