gladiolus
Americannoun
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gladiolus,
plural
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gladioli,
plural, plural
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gladioluses
plural
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any plant of the genus Gladiolus, of the iris family, native especially to Africa, having erect, sword-shaped leaves and spikes of flowers in a variety of colors.
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Anatomy. the middle and largest segment of the sternum.
noun
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Also called: sword lily. gladiola. any iridaceous plant of the widely cultivated genus Gladiolus, having sword-shaped leaves and spikes of funnel-shaped brightly coloured flowers
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anatomy the large central part of the breastbone
Usage
What does gladiolus mean? The name gladiolus can refer to any plant in the genus Gladiolus, which is in the iris family. They are known for their sword-shaped leaves and brightly colored, funnel-shaped flowers. Due to the shape of its leaves, the gladiolus is sometimes called the sword lily. A gladiolus can also be called a gladiola. Gladiolus plants are sometimes informally called glads for short. The plural of gladiolus can be gladiolus, gladioli, or gladioluses. There are more than 300 species of gladiolus and their flowers come in many different colors. They are commonly used as ornamental flowers by gardeners and florists. The gladiolus is the one of the August birth flowers (a flower that’s associated with a particular month in the same way as a birthstone). The word gladiolus has another meaning in the context of anatomy, in which it refers to the middle and largest segment of the sternum (the breastbone). Example: We used four different kinds of gladiolus to make the wedding bouquet.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of gladiolus
1560–70; < Latin: small sword, sword lily, equivalent to gladi ( us ) sword + -olus -ole 1
Compare meaning
How does gladiolus compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Novack grew up nearby, where gardening, albeit with nonnative plants like gladiolus, had been an essential part of her childhood.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
Then stash them — in milk crates, plastic laundry baskets or even net bags, which are good for hanging gladiolus or dahlias.
From New York Times ● Sep. 16, 2020
A new orange gladiolus found on top of a remote table mountain in Guinea is now called Gladiolus mariae, after Xander van der Burgt christened the plant after his wife Maria.
From The Guardian ● Dec. 17, 2019
The men who had given themselves up lined up in front of a podium decked with flowers, and each of them was presented with a single gladiolus flower by the Home Minister, Assaduzaman Khan.
From BBC ● Apr. 24, 2019
A wide-mouthed milk bottle filled with gladiolus was perched on another table under the window.
From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd
The claim is sometime made that funerals are about the living, but that reduces the event to a group therapy session, overlaid with the cloying odor of lilies and gladioli.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2025
They emerged to the Coronation Street theme, played Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now and This Charming Man, and left waving bunches of gladioli.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2023
Rhoda was dressed in a blue caftan and strewn with sunflowers, roses and gladioli.
From New York Times ● Feb. 18, 2020
Another woman offered the frontman a bouquet of flowers, which prompted a few words on one of his favorite performers, Morrissey, who’s known for tossing gladioli during his performances.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2015
A flower arrangement with gladioli sits on a polished table beside it.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
On each side of the driveway the greensward was beautified by alternating star and diamond-shaped plots of geraniums, roses, gladioluses, canna and nasturtions.
From Solaris Farm A Story of the Twentieth Century by Milan C. Edson
Around it a ring of cut glass bouquet holders, filled with spikes of flaming gladioluses, formed a most effective border.
From Solaris Farm A Story of the Twentieth Century by Milan C. Edson
The principal objects in his picture are a silver dish with figs, a silver bowl containing roses and gladioluses at the foot of a column, and black and white grapes, apples, etc., in the foreground.
From The Standard Galleries - Holland by Esther Singleton
Miracle after miracle, Clive—from the enchantment of July roses to the splendour of dahlia, calendula, and gladioluses.
From Athalie by Frank Craig
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
