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gillyflower

or gil·li·flow·er

[ jil-ee-flou-er ]
/ ˈdʒɪl iˌflaʊ ər /
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noun
Archaic. any of several fragrant flowers of the genus Dianthus, as the carnation or clove pink.
any of various other usually fragrant flowers, especially a stock, Matthiola incana, of the mustard family.
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Origin of gillyflower

1300–50; alteration (by association with flower) of Middle English gilofre, geraflour<Old French gilofre, girofle<Latin caryophyllum<Greek karyóphyllon clove (káryo(n) nut + phýllon leaf)

Words nearby gillyflower

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

How to use gillyflower in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for gillyflower

gillyflower

gilliflower

/ (ˈdʒɪlɪˌflaʊə) /

noun
any of several plants having fragrant flowers, such as the stock and wallflower
an archaic name for carnation

Word Origin for gillyflower

C14: changed (through influence of flower) from gilofre, from Old French girofle, from Medieval Latin, from Greek karuophullon clove tree, from karuon nut + phullon leaf
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
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