lily

[ lil-ee ]

noun,plural lil·ies.

any scaly-bulbed plant of the genus Lilium, having showy, funnel-shaped or bell-shaped flowers.: Compare lily family.
the flower or the bulb of such a plant.

any of various related or similar plants or their flowers, as the mariposa lily or the calla lily.
fleur-de-lis, especially as the symbol of France.
Bowling. a split in which the five, seven, and ten pins remain standing.

adjective

white as a lily: her lily hands.
delicately fair: a lily maiden.

pure; unsullied: the lily truth.
pale; fragile; weak.

Idioms about lily

gild the lily. gild¹ (def. 4).

Origin of lily

before 1000; Middle English, Old English lilie<Latin līlium; compare Greek leírion

Other words from lily

lil·y·like, adjective

Other definitions for Lily (2 of 2)

Lily

or Lil·ly

[ lil-e ]

noun

a female given name.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use lily in a sentence

The first bill President Obama signed into law was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which called for equal pay among the sexes.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt on Why He’s Exploring the Word ‘Feminism’ and Online Misogyny | Marlow Stern | September 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
And then, according to Lilly Ledbetter in the Washington Post of January 19, 2014, the President virtually stopped.
Whither the Women’s Movement? | Judith Barnett | July 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Days after his Inaugural, on January 29, 2009, President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Equal Pay law.
Whither the Women’s Movement? | Judith Barnett | July 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
“Lilly… Ledbetter…” we whisper to ourselves as we frown at men.
Getting to Know the ‘Beyoncé Voter’ | Kelly Williams Brown | July 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
A travelogue of the drug-testing labs at Pfizer, Eli Lilly, or GlaxoSmithKline would likely be soporific.
Weed Reads: The 10 Best Books on Pot | Roger Roffman | April 27, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

"Me t'ink Massa Figgins getting lilly soft in him nut; him losing him hair turn him mad," he said to himself.
Jack Harkaway's Boy Tinker Among The Turks | Bracebridge Hemyng
So says Lilly; but it is certain that if an astrologer be in earnest, he must deceive himself, if he do not deceive others.
Witch, Warlock, and Magician | William Henry Davenport Adams
Lilly continued some time longer in the service of Master Gilbert Wright.
Witch, Warlock, and Magician | William Henry Davenport Adams
Lilly ran in hot haste under an old ash-tree, and immediately the cannon-shot came hissing over their heads.
Witch, Warlock, and Magician | William Henry Davenport Adams
The practice of astrology must have been exceedingly lucrative, for Lilly is known to have acquired a considerable fortune.
Witch, Warlock, and Magician | William Henry Davenport Adams

British Dictionary definitions for lily

lily

/ (ˈlɪlɪ) /

nounplural lilies

any liliaceous perennial plant of the N temperate genus Lilium, such as the Turk's-cap lily and tiger lily, having scaly bulbs and showy typically pendulous flowers
the bulb or flower of any of these plants

any of various similar or related plants, such as the water lily, plantain lily, and day lily

Origin of lily

Old English, from Latin līlium; related to Greek leirion lily

Derived forms of lily

lily-like, adjective

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with lily

lily

see gild the lily.

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