edelweiss

[ eyd-l-vahys, -wahys ]

noun
  1. a small composite plant, Leontopodium alpinum, having white woolly leaves and flowers, growing in the high altitudes of the Alps.

  2. a liqueur made in Italy, flavored with the extracts of alpine flowers.

Origin of edelweiss

1
1860–65; <German, equivalent to edel noble + weisswhite

Words Nearby edelweiss

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use edelweiss in a sentence

  • "One night I was blown up here in a great snow storm and I've been here ever since," said edelweiss.

  • "I would be glad to look," said edelweiss, for he was a very polite little flower and had very pretty manners.

  • High on the side of a rocky crag, Franz spied a sprig of edelweiss and was tempted to climb up and pluck it.

    Rescue Dog of the High Pass | James Arthur Kjelgaard
  • Oh, yes; you shall go, if you like, and one of you shall get me a flower of the edelweiss from some inaccessible crag.

    The Court Jester | Cornelia Baker
  • The edelweiss is a flower which grows upon dizzy heights, blooming under the snow.

    The Court Jester | Cornelia Baker

British Dictionary definitions for edelweiss

edelweiss

/ (ˈeɪdəlˌvaɪs) /


noun
  1. a small alpine flowering plant, Leontopodium alpinum, having white woolly oblong leaves and a tuft of attractive floral leaves surrounding the flowers: family Asteraceae (composites)

Origin of edelweiss

1
C19: German, literally: noble white

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