amaryllis

[am-uh-ril-is]

noun

any of several bulbous plants of the genus Hippeastrum, especially H. puniceum, which has large red or pink flowers and is popular as a houseplant.Compare amaryllis family.

Also called belladonna lily, naked lady. a related plant, Amaryllis belladonna, having clusters of usually rose-colored flowers.

any of several other similar or related plants.

(initial capital letter) a shepherdess or country girl, especially in classical and later pastoral poetry.

Origin of amaryllis

1785–95; < Latin: name of a shepherdess in Vergil's Eclogues

Amaryllis

[am-uh-ril-is]

noun

a female given name.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for amaryllis

Historical Examples of amaryllis

Amaryllis Formosissima was in bloom in one week after I planted the bulb.
The Mayflower, January, 1905
Various
Amaryllis rose to leave them together, but her father stopped her.
Ambrotox and Limping Dick
Oliver Fleming
Amaryllis sat upright in her chair, and drew in her breath sharply.
Ambrotox and Limping Dick
Oliver Fleming
Amaryllis found her father and Sir Randal at the breakfast-table.
Ambrotox and Limping Dick
Oliver Fleming
The woman fell backwards, and Amaryllis caught her from behind.
Ambrotox and Limping Dick
Oliver Fleming

British Dictionary definitions for amaryllis

amaryllis

noun

Also called: belladonna lily an amaryllidaceous plant, Amaryllis belladonna, native to southern Africa and having large lily-like reddish or white flowers

any of several related plants, esp hippeastrum

Word Origin for amaryllis

C18: from New Latin, from Latin: named after Amaryllis

Amaryllis

noun

(in pastoral poetry) a name for a shepherdess or country girl

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for amaryllis

autumn-flowering bulbs, 1794, adopted by Linnaeus from Latin, from Greek Amaryllis, typical name of a country girl or shepherdess (in Theocritus, Virgil, Ovid, etc.).