fritillary
Americannoun
noun
-
any N temperate liliaceous plant of the genus Fritillaria , having purple or white drooping bell-shaped flowers, typically marked in a chequered pattern See also snake's head
-
any of various nymphalid butterflies of the genera Argynnis, Boloria , etc, having brownish wings chequered with black and silver
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of fritillary
From New Latin, dating back to 1625–35; see origin at fritillaria
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The pearl-bordered fritillary, a striking orange-and-black butterfly whose caterpillars feed only on violets, has declined by 70%.
From BBC ● Apr. 14, 2026
The pearl-bordered fritillary has seen numbers rapidly decline across Britain and Ireland, although the fall has been less marked in Scotland.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2021
The bright-orange Gulf fritillary, for example, is thriving not on native plants but on flowers popular in home gardens, Forister said.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 4, 2021
According to Bourn, this species only endured here because volunteers picked up its caterpillars before meadows were mowed, and returned them after, and there was no prospect of the marsh fritillary spreading across the countryside.
From The Guardian ● Oct. 13, 2020
The day didn’t begin to look up until I caught a spotted fritillary butterfly.
From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly
Larger — and faster — than the blues are the bright black-and-orange fritillaries.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 15, 2024
It is home to 34 of the 59 butterfly species found in the UK, including the white admiral, dainty wood white and England's largest colony of pearl-bordered fritillaries.
From BBC ● Feb. 1, 2022
I’ve given up on fritillaries, which are, in my experience, one-shot wonders in hot, humid regions.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 20, 2020
They include blues, whites, sulphurs, coppers, fritillaries, wood nymphs, skippers, crescents and checkerspots.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 24, 2016
Has your brother ever sent you any of the fritillaries?'
From Philistia by Allen, Grant
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
