ballflower

[ bawl-flou-er ]

noun

, Architecture.

1. a medieval English ornament suggesting a flower of three or four petals enclosing and partly concealing a ball.

ballflower

/ ˈbɔːlˌflaʊə /

noun

1. architect a carved ornament in the form of a ball enclosed by the three petals of a circular flower

Word History and Origins

Origin of ballflower¹

First recorded in 1835–45; ball ¹ + flower