asphodel

[ as-fuh-del ]

/ ˈæs fəˌdɛl /

noun

any of various southern European plants of the genera Asphodelus and Asphodeline, of the lily family, having white, pink, or yellow flowers in elongated clusters.

any of various other plants, as the daffodil.

Nearby words

asphaltene, asphaltite, asphaltum, aspherical, aspherical surface, asphodel, asphyxia, asphyxia livida, asphyxia neonatorum, asphyxiant, asphyxiate

Origin of asphodel

1590–1600; < Latin asphodelus < Greek asphódelos the asphodel. See daffodil

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

Examples from the Web for asphodel

Asphodel, as′fo-del, n. a kind of lily—in Greek mythology, the peculiar plant of the dead.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D)|Various
He was roused from his troubled thoughts by seeing Miss Asphodel Vincent coming along the walk towards him.
A Book of Ghosts|Sabine Baring-Gould
A dog in the North Country is surely qualifying for some canine heaven in the asphodel meadows.
The New North|Agnes Deans Cameron
At his elbow is a great un-English, unwintry nosegay of asphodel and iris.
Alas!|Rhoda Broughton

You walked as if you were treading on asphodel, and you carried your head as if you'd bought the whole world.
The Woman's Way|Charles Garvice

British Dictionary definitions for asphodel

asphodel

/ (ˈæsfəˌdɛl) /

noun

any of various S European liliaceous plants of the genera Asphodelus and Asphodeline, having clusters of white or yellow flowersCompare bog asphodel

any of various other plants, such as the daffodil

an unidentified flower of Greek legend, probably a narcissus, said to cover the Elysian fields

Word Origin for asphodel

C16: from Latin asphodelus, from Greek asphodelos, of obscure origin

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