fleur-de-lis

[ flur-dl-ee, -ees, floo r-; French flœr-duh-lees ]

/ ˌflɜr dlˈi, -ˈis, ˌflʊər-; French flœr dəˈlis /

a heraldic device somewhat resembling three petals or floral segments of an iris tied by an encircling band.

the heraldic bearing of the royal family of France.

the iris flower or plant.

Nearby words

Also fleur-de-lys (for defs 1, 2).

1300–50; < French; replacing Middle English flourdelis < Anglo-French flour de lis, literally, lily flower

They open by a hinge, and are enamelled with the rose, fleur-de-lis, and harp.
The Illustrated London Reading Book|Various
Still later, in the reign of Charles the Fourth, the mark used was a fleur-de-lis with two crossed C's.
The Arts and Crafts of Older Spain, Volume II (of 3)|Leonard Williams
Her poetry was symbolized by the fleur-de-lis with its penetrating perfume.
Greek Women|Mitchell Carroll
The result would be "per fess argent and gules, a fleur-de-lis counterchanged."
A Complete Guide to Heraldry|Arthur Charles Fox-Davies

The fleur-de-lis as the finial of a sceptre and as an ornament of a crown can be taken back to the fifth century.
A Complete Guide to Heraldry|Arthur Charles Fox-Davies