A collection of flowers; an anthology of selected literary passages, poems, or learned excerpts arranged thematically or chronologically.
From Latin florilegium, combining flos (flower) with legere (to gather or read). Medieval scholars used this term for both botanical collections and literary anthologies.
The term florilegium perfectly captures medieval intellectual life—monks would bind together the most beautiful literary 'flowers' from different sources, like a greatest-hits album of wisdom.
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