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jonquil

American  
[jong-kwil, jon-] / ˈdʒɒŋ kwɪl, ˈdʒɒn- /

noun

  1. a narcissus, Narcissus jonquilla, having long, narrow, rushlike leaves and fragrant, yellow or white flowers.


jonquil British  
/ ˈdʒɒŋkwɪl /

noun

  1. a Eurasian amaryllidaceous plant, Narcissus jonquilla with long fragrant yellow or white short-tubed flowers

  2. any of various other small daffodil-like plants

"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

Etymology

Origin of jonquil

1620–30; < French jonquille < Spanish junquillo, equivalent to junc ( o ) rush, reed (< Latin juncus ) + -illo diminutive suffix

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:

In the South, daffodils are sometimes known as jonquils, because the jonquil was the one type of daffodil that could reliably grow in a climate with milder winters and hotter summers.

From Seattle Times Oct. 6, 2021

An old man in jonquil pants sits on a fence.

From New York Times Jan. 6, 2015

If anything about Patagonia is still otherworldly, it’s the colors embedded in the landscape — teal, mauve, mahogany, jonquil, periwinkle, azure, lavender.

From New York Times Sep. 16, 2011

She said "Yes," and would have thought so if it had not been for the memory of that moment, already faded, when she had seen the jonquil.

From Beggars on Horseback by Jesse, F. Tennyson (Fryniwyd Tennyson)

And ever since then, that little red hen, She writes with a jonquil pen, quil pen, She writes with a jonquil pen.

From The Jingle Book by Herford, Oliver

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