gladiolus

American  

[glad-ee-oh-luhs] / ˌglæd iˈoʊ ləs /

noun

PLURAL

gladiolus, gladioli, gladioluses, gladioli.

1. any plant of the genus Gladiolus, of the iris family, native especially to Africa, having erect, sword-shaped leaves and spikes of flowers in a variety of colors.

2. Anatomy.  the middle and largest segment of the sternum.

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gladiolus British  

/ ˌɡlædɪˈəʊləs /

noun

1. Also called: sword lily.   gladiola.  any iridaceous plant of the widely cultivated genus Gladiolus, having sword-shaped leaves and spikes of funnel-shaped brightly coloured flowers

2. anatomy the large central part of the breastbone

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Usage

What does gladiolus mean? The name gladiolus can refer to any plant in the genus Gladiolus, which is in the iris family. They are known for their sword-shaped leaves and brightly colored, funnel-shaped flowers.Due to the shape of its leaves, the gladiolus is sometimes called the sword lily. A gladiolus can also be called a gladiola. Gladiolus plants are sometimes informally called glads for short. The plural of gladiolus can be gladiolus, gladioli, or gladioluses.There are more than 300 species of gladiolus and their flowers come in many different colors. They are commonly used as ornamental flowers by gardeners and florists.The gladiolus is the one of the August birth flowers (a flower that’s associated with a particular month in the same way as a birthstone).The word gladiolus has another meaning in the context of anatomy, in which it refers to the middle and largest segment of the sternum (the breastbone).Example: We used four different kinds of gladiolus to make the wedding bouquet.

Etymology

Origin of gladiolus

1560–70; < Latin: small sword, sword lily, equivalent to gladi ( us ) sword + -olus -ole ¹

Compare meaning

How does gladiolus compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• gladiolus vs. gladiola

Example Sentences

The claim is sometime made that funerals are about the living, but that reduces the event to a group therapy session, overlaid with the cloying odor of lilies and gladioli.

From The Wall Street Journal

They emerged to the Coronation Street theme, played Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now and This Charming Man, and left waving bunches of gladioli.

From BBC

Performances concluded with Dame Edna flinging hundreds of gladioli into the crowd, no mean feat aerodynamically.

From New York Times

From her humble suburban beginnings in the mid 1950s, plain Mrs Everage morphed into a global superstar, spreading her homespun philosophy and piles of gladioli wherever she went.

From BBC

She is a poet of windows and reflections; of houses and shacks in Maine; of quarries, iced-over ponds and flowers: cow parsnips, red gladioli, globe thistles, wild geraniums.

From Washington Post