Dictionary.com
definitions
  • synonyms

amaryllis

[am-uh-ril-is]
See more synonyms for amaryllis on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. 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.
  2. Also called belladonna lily, naked lady. a related plant, Amaryllis belladonna, having clusters of usually rose-colored flowers.
  3. any of several other similar or related plants.
  4. (initial capital letter) a shepherdess or country girl, especially in classical and later pastoral poetry.
Show More

Origin of amaryllis

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

Amaryllis

[am-uh-ril-is]
noun
  1. a female given name.
Show More
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for amaryllis

Historical Examples

  • Amaryllis Formosissima was in bloom in one week after I planted the bulb.

    The Mayflower, January, 1905

    Various

  • The woman fell backwards, and Amaryllis caught her from behind.

  • For that Amaryllis was in that house he had less doubt than proof.

  • Amaryllis thrust her hand deep into the Brundage pocket, rummaging.

  • Amaryllis rose to leave them together, but her father stopped her.

British Dictionary definitions for amaryllis

amaryllis

noun
  1. Also called: belladonna lily an amaryllidaceous plant, Amaryllis belladonna, native to southern Africa and having large lily-like reddish or white flowers
  2. any of several related plants, esp hippeastrum
Show More

Word Origin

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

Amaryllis

noun
  1. (in pastoral poetry) a name for a shepherdess or country girl
Show More
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

n.

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.).

Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper