The word floss has been around for many centuries, but the meaning of the word keeps changing as we develop more and more slang terms. The word floss was first introduced into the English language in the sixteenth century, but now, centuries later we have managed to change the word to flossin.  By making this word a slang term, you can imagine how the definition has completely changed overtime, and will probably continue to change as time moves on.

      According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word floss was derived from three languages.  It was first derived from the Old French word flosch, which meant down, or a pile of velvet; then it moved into the Modern French word soie floche, which was a floss silk; and finally, the last word it was derived from floss-seave, which was the Cleveland dialect for cotton-grass.  The word floss has numerous definitions, stated in the OED, from meaning silk in fine filaments to a flossy surface and quantity of flossy particles, to the closest definition of the slang term flossin, rare and genuineness. Another meaning of the word floss is circus cotton candy (�Flossin,� New Dictionary of American Slang). The closest meaning of the word floss to its slang word flossin came from Cassells Dictionary of Slang, meaning money.  This definition was adopted in the early 1990�s and since then has changed slightly.   Although today when we use the slang term flossin, it may not take on the same meaning as the word floss did, but we can see how the word came to be and how it might have been derived.
 
     The term flossin is being used everywhere.  From its use on the streets to its use in the movies and music videos, this term is everywhere.  Mostly all races and genders use this word to make a remark about someone.  When someone says that a person is flossin, they mean that there being showy, or showing off the expensive merchandise they have.  Another way of putting it is that a person has a lot of money and waves it in other peoples faces.  Some examples of how to use the term flossin would be: �He be flossin in his car,� which means that he has a really nice �pimped-out� car, or you could say, �She be flossin,� in this case you would be saying that she�s wearing a lot of expensive, flashy jewelry.  Since this slang term was created during my generation, you can see teens uses it everywhere.

      Have you ever heard the slang term �bling-blingin?�  This term has much of the same meaning as does flossin, so a lot of times they are used interchangeably.  �He be bling-blingin,� this is very close to how you would use flossin , and it also means the same thing.  This word [bling-blingin] focuses on the amount and type of jewelry someone has on.  Another word that can carry a closely related definition but is not necessarily a slang term is the word showy.  You might use the word showy to describe someone who is wearing tons of jewelry or in a nice car.  They could be considered somewhat of a show off.

      With the popularity of the word flossin, I don�t see why we can�t admit it to our standard American English.  Its growing use across the states has made an impact on so many people.  The word flossin, once never heard before, can be heard everywhere you go.  If we would allow this term to become a part of our everyday English, more and more people would know what the term means and in what circumstances to use it.