phrase/a flœʁ də/
almost at the level of; on the surface of, on the edge of
“Tout autour, à fleur de roc, buissons durs et arbustes noueux poussaient à portée de la main.” — All around, at the edge of the rock, tough bushes & gnarled shrubs grew within reach.
Synonyms: au niveau de
Related: à fleur de coin, à fleur de corde, à fleur d’eau, à fleur de peau, à fleur de tête
From the word fleur, a flower. From Latin florem, originally meaning flower but also 'the best part [of something]', 'the upper part', & finally 'the surface'. It was from the latter sense that the phrase à fleur de arose in the middle of the 14ᵗʰ century to signify 'on the surface of'.