gillyflower
or gil·li·flow·er
[ jil-ee-flou-er ]
/ ˈdʒɪl iˌflaʊ ər /
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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Which of the following animal names traces its immediate origin to Portuguese?
Origin of gillyflower
1300–50; alteration (by association withflower) of Middle English gilofre, geraflour<Old French gilofre, girofle<Latin caryophyllum<Greek karyóphyllon clove (káryo(n) nut + phýllon leaf)
Words nearby gillyflower
gill raker, Gillray, gills, gill slit, gilly, gillyflower, Gilman, Gilman, Charlotte P., Gilolo, Gilroy, Gilson
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for gillyflower
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
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