lily pad

American

noun

the large, floating leaf of a water lily.

lily pad British

noun

any of the floating leaves of a water lily

"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 lily pad

An Americanism dating back to 1805–15

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.

The line brings to life the garden’s delicate wildflowers and rippling fountains in playful, painterly prints, featuring blossoming orange poppies and deep purple lily pads.

From Los Angeles Times

Rick stumbles with Chelsea into the nearby water; their bodies floating alongside lily pads.

From Los Angeles Times

Villarreal: I am ready to float on a lily pad the whole season.

From Los Angeles Times

Beneath a floating canopy of lily pads in Cedar Lake, Canada, a swarm of western toad tadpoles glided gracefully through the water.

From BBC

“A lot of people like to store their lily pads from boating on a hoist,” pulley system, she says.

From Seattle Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023