calla
Americannoun
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Also called arum lily. Also called calla lily;. any of several plants belonging to the genus Zantedeschia, of the arum family, especially Z. aethiopica, having arrow-shaped leaves and a large white spathe enclosing a yellow spike.
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a related plant, Calla palustris, of cold marshes of Europe and North America, having heart-shaped leaves.
noun
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Also called: calla lily. arum lily. any southern African plant of the aroid genus Zantedeschia, esp Z. aethiopica, which has a white funnel-shaped spathe enclosing a yellow spadix
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an aroid plant, Calla palustris, that grows in wet places and has a white spathe enclosing a greenish spadix, and red berries
Etymology
Origin of calla
From New Latin (Linnaeus)
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“She had this big, beautiful white calla lily in her hair,” Vicioso says.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 2, 2026
It is like a big purple calla lily, but it smells horrible.
From Seattle Times • Jun. 10, 2023
For guests who step through the door and out into the enclosed garden, hushed earthly delights of fountains and flowers — soft calla lilies, tulips and desert roses — await.
From New York Times • Nov. 17, 2022
It looks like an oasis in the middle of the suburbs — it's the only house with massive hibiscus plants, dozens of calla lilies, and a cherry blossom tree.
From Salon • Jun. 19, 2022
I looked out the window and saw the calla lilies had fallen and turned brown, the daisies had been crushed down by their own weight, the lettuce gone to seed.
From "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
