lily
/ˈlɪli/ noun, adjective, proper noun
Forms lilies lilly
- noun Any of several flowers in the genus Lilium of the family Liliaceae, which includes a great many ornamental species.
- noun Any of several species of herbaceous flower which may or may not resemble the genus Lilium in some way, and which are not closely related to it or each other.
- noun (heraldry) The flower used as a heraldic charge; also commonly used to describe the fleur-de-lis.
- noun The end of a compass needle that should point north, traditionally often ornamented with the figure of a lily or fleur-de-lis.
- noun (card games, usually in the plural) A royal spade in auction bridge.
- noun (cartomancy) The thirtieth Lenormand card, representing calmness and maturity.
- adjective (slang, derogatory) White (as a racial epithet).
- proper noun A female given name from English, popular around 1900 and currently returning to favor.
Etymology
From Middle English lilie, from Old English lilie, from Latin līlia, plural of līlium, from Ancient Greek λείριον (leírion). See there for more.
A 19th-century flower name, from lily. Also a diminutive of Lilian and sometimes Elizabeth.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A plant and flower of the genus Lilium, endogenous bulbous plants, having a regular perianth of six colored pieces, six stamens, and a superior three-celled ovary.
- noun A name given to handsome flowering plants of several genera, having some resemblance in color or form to a true lily, as Pancratium, Crinum, Amaryllis, Nerine, etc.
Etymology [AS. lilie, L. lilium, Gr. Flower-de- luce.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “lily”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details