Canterbury bells

noun(used with a singular or plural verb)

a plant, Campanula medium, cultivated for its showy, bell-shaped violet-blue, pink, or white flowers in loose clusters.

Origin of Canterbury bells

First recorded in 1570–80

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

And the girls decorated the tables with flowers—blue larkspur and white Canterbury bells.
The Wouldbegoods | E. Nesbit
The Canterbury bells should be six inches across in the fall, and the next year about two feet high.
A Woman's Hardy Garden | Helena Rutherfurd Ely
The gladiolas, Canterbury bells, gillie flowers and fox gloves grow as prim as in a conservative English garden.
Vignettes Of San Francisco | Almira Bailey
The meadows on the hillside are full of yarrow and Canterbury bells; everythings in bloom.
The Adventures of Maya the Bee | Waldemar Bonsels
Mr. Hawkins: We have three plants, hollyhocks, digitalis and Canterbury bells, and nearly all have the same trouble with them.
Trees, Fruits and Flowers of Minnesota, 1916 | Various

Browse