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• Daphne
  Daphne

  noun

  a nymph who, when pursued by Apollo, was saved by being changed into a laurel tree.
• daphne
  daphne

  noun

  any shrub of the Eurasian thymelaeaceous genus Daphne, such as the mezereon and spurge laurel: ornamentals with shiny evergreen leaves and clusters of small bell-shaped flowers See also laurel

Daphne

American  

[daf-nee] / ˈdæf ni /

noun

1. Classical Mythology. a nymph who, when pursued by Apollo, was saved by being changed into a laurel tree.

2. (lowercase) any Eurasian shrub belonging to the genus Daphne, certain species of which, as D. mezereum, are cultivated for their fragrant flowers.

3. a female given name.

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Daphne ¹ British  

/ ˈdæfnɪ /

noun

1. Greek myth a nymph who was saved from the amorous attentions of Apollo by being changed into a laurel tree

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daphne ² British  

/ ˈdæfnɪ /

noun

1. any shrub of the Eurasian thymelaeaceous genus Daphne, such as the mezereon and spurge laurel: ornamentals with shiny evergreen leaves and clusters of small bell-shaped flowers See also laurel

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Etymology

Origin of Daphne

< Latin Daphnē < Greek dáphnē laurel

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Daphne daphne

A Maltese court on Wednesday acquitted tycoon Yorgen Fenech of orchestrating the car-bomb killing of investigative reporter Daphne Caruana Galizia, sparking outrage from her family and media freedom advocates.

From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026

Rosemary and Peter Grant, a married pair of evolutionary biologists who studied songbirds on Daphne Major, a small volcanic island in the Galápagos archipelago, are the subjects of Jonathan Weiner’s “The Beak of the Finch.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

Paralympic medallist Daphne Schrager insists she has "never cheated" after being given a two-year ban following an "unintentional" positive test for a banned substance.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

The lawsuit was filed by Daphne Hawkins on behalf of two of her children who attended Mariposa Elementary School.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026

I’m realizing now that our uncle has no idea how sick he and Daphne might be.

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

Aromatic lilies, lavender and bee balm fill the air with sweet scent in summer, while witch hazel, daphne and other flowering shrubs provide fragrance in quieter seasons.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 30, 2022

So even though the daphne looks sad right now, don’t remove the damaged leaves.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 8, 2022

Q: My daphne is sad, but I’m not sure why.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 8, 2022

No garden should be without hellebores or a daphne or two, winterberry hollies and witch hazels.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 19, 2019

When my mother came across an unusual one, she would give an “Oh” of joy and tell me its name: daphne, wild heliotrope, pink orchid.

From "Homesick" by Jean Fritz

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