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

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

The latter is a fragrant yellow-colored water, prepared from gillyflower, jasmine, and flor de mistela (Talinum umbellatum).
Travels in Peru, on the Coast, in the Sierra, Across the Cordilleras and the Andes, into the Primeval Forests|J. J. von Tschudi
Ten Week Stock—the "Gillyflower" of grandmother's garden—is a late bloomer.
Amateur Gardencraft|Eben E. Rexford
Mother used to tell how before I were born, she were in a terrible hurry to eat a Cornish Gillyflower.
Carnival|Compton Mackenzie
In a wet place the "gillyflower" was growing, suggesting our dentaria, or crinkle-root.
Fresh Fields|John Burroughs

"You're such a dear, Gillyflower," she said with that impulsive, lovable charm of manner which it was so difficult to resist.
The Lamp of Fate|Margaret Pedler

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