lily

lil·y

noun

pl. lil′ies

any of a large genus (Lilium) of perennial plants of the lily family, grown from a bulb and having typically trumpet-shaped flowers, white or colored
the flower or the bulb of any of these plants
any of several plants similar to the true lily, as the waterlily
the flower of any of these plants
the heraldic fleur-de-lis, as in the royal arms of France

Origin of lily

Middle English lilie from Old English from Classical Latin lilium

designating a family (Liliaceae, order Liliales) of monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous, plants, including the tulips, hyacinths, onions, and asparagus
like a lily, as in whiteness, delicacy, etc.

Lily

a feminine name

Origin of Lily

diminutive of Lillian or from lily

Link/Cite

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MLA Style

"lily." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/lily>.

APA Style

lily. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/lily

lily

noun

pl. lil·ies

Any of various plants of the genus Lilium, having variously colored, often trumpet-shaped flowers.
Any of various similar or related plants, such as the daylily or the water lily.
The flower of any of these plants.

Origin of lily

Middle English lilie from Old English from Latin līlium

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"lily." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/lily>.

APA Style

lily. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/lily

Noun

(plural lilies)

Any of several flowers in the genus Lilium of the family Liliaceae, which includes a great many ornamental species.
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.
The end of a compass needle that should point north, traditionally often ornamented with the figure of a lily or fleur-de-lis.

Adjective

(not comparable)

(slang, derogatory) White (as a racial epithet).

Anagrams

illy
yill

Origin

Old English lilie, from Latin lÄ«lia, plural of lÄ«lium, from Ancient Greek Î»ÎµÎ¯ÏÎ¹Î¿Î½ (leÃrion), from Coptic (dial. Fayyumic) Ï©â²—â²â²£â²“ (hlÄ“ri), variant of Ï©â²£â²â²£â²‰ (hrÄ“re), from Demotic (á¸¥rry), from Egyptian

á¸¥rr.t (á¸¥ereret) 'flower'. Perhaps also the root of Sanskrit à¤¹à¤²à¥€/à¤¹à¤²à¤¿à¤¨à¥€ (halI/halinI), both also meaning lily.

Proper noun