lily

¹ American  

[lil-ee] / ˈlɪl i /

noun

plural

lilies

1. any scaly-bulbed plant of the genus Lilium, having showy, funnel-shaped or bell-shaped flowers.

2. the flower or the bulb of such a plant.

3. any of various related or similar plants or their flowers, as the mariposa lily or the calla lily.

4. fleur-de-lis, especially as the symbol of France.

5. Bowling. a split in which the five, seven, and ten pins remain standing.

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adjective

1. white as a lily.

   her lily hands.

2. delicately fair.

   a lily maiden.

3. pure; unsullied.

   the lily truth.

4. pale; fragile; weak.

idioms

1. gild the lily. gild.

Lily ² American  

[lil-e] / ˈlɪl ɛ /

Or Lilly

noun

1. a female given name.

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lily British  

/ ˈlɪlɪ /

noun

1. 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

2. the bulb or flower of any of these plants

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

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lily More Idioms  

1. see gild the lily.

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Other Word Forms

• lily-like adjective
• lilylike adjective

Etymology

Origin of lily

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

Example Sentences

These works are Impressionistic, displaying washes of scenes featuring elements like lily pads and flowers, some of them incorporating gold leaf as an accent in reference to the Japanese kintsugi technique.

From Los Angeles Times

The mothers spend the days foraging for fruit, nuts, and water lily seeds, while children splash in the river's murky waters.

From Barron's

Tim got a tattoo on his right shoulder of a bow wrapped around a passenger jet, and Sheri and Lydia each got a tattoo of a lily.

From The Wall Street Journal

These include motifs of a horse and corgi, references to art and theatre to mark "her enduring support for culture", as well as some of her favourite flowers - roses and lily of the valley.

From BBC

With these it balanced itself boldly on lily pads and waterweeds.

From Literature