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.

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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

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Etymology

Origin of jonquil

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

Example Sentences

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

It is, in shape and size, exactly like the flower of the jonquil.

From The Shirley Letters from California Mines in 1851-52 by Clappe, Louise Amelia Knapp Smith

Boyish and slender, child-limbed, quick and proud, A sprite of irresistible disdain, Fair as a jonquil in an April rain, You seemed too sweet an imp for that dull crowd....

From Chimneysmoke by Morley, Christopher