This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
gillyflower
or gil·li·flow·er
[ jil-ee-flou-er ]
/ ˈdʒɪl iˌflaʊ ər /
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
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.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?
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
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. 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