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Canterbury bell

British  

noun

  1. a campanulaceous biennial European plant, Campanula medium, widely cultivated for its blue, violet, or white flowers

"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

Example Sentences

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Of such are adlumia, Canterbury bell, lunaria, ipomopsis, Œnothera Lamarckiana; and foxglove, valerian, and some other perennials would better be treated as biennials.

From Manual of Gardening (Second Edition) by Bailey, L. H. (Liberty Hyde)

C. Medium, Canterbury bell, with large blue, purple and white flowers, is a favourite and handsome biennial, of which there are numerous varieties.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 2 "Camorra" to "Cape Colony" by Various

The name Canterbury bell has a very interesting origin, namely, that bells were the recognised badge of pilgrims to the shrine of St Thomas at Canterbury. 

From Springtime and Other Essays by Darwin, Francis, Sir

The Canterbury bell drooped helplessly in one corner.

From More Tales in the Land of Nursery Rhyme by Marzials, Ada M.

But when he stopped to look at the flower he had plucked, he found it was only quite an ordinary Canterbury bell!

From More Tales in the Land of Nursery Rhyme by Marzials, Ada M.