marguerite

[mahr-guh-reet]

noun

Also called Paris daisy. the European daisy, Bellis perennis.
any of several daisylike flowers, especially Chrysanthemum frutescens, cultivated for its numerous white-rayed, yellow-centered flowers.

Origin of marguerite

1865–70; < French: daisy, pearl < Latin margarīta pearl < Greek; see margarite

Marguerite

[mahr-guh-reet; French mar-guh-reet]

noun

a female given name, French form of Margaret.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for marguerite

Contemporary Examples of marguerite

“I remember people coming in with a cake to pay the bill,” recalls Cordice's daughter, Marguerite.
The Black and White Men Who Saved Martin Luther King’s Life
Michael Daly
January 20, 2014
During the time I knew Marguerite, there was only one moment in which I truly felt any compassion for her.
Oswald’s Mother Was a Thoroughly Disagreeable Piece of Work
Steve North
November 17, 2013
Marguerite Claverie Oswald was, indeed, a difficult and bizarre woman.
Oswald’s Mother Was a Thoroughly Disagreeable Piece of Work
Steve North
November 17, 2013
Marguerite hoped it would be the prelude to a book she wanted to write, and asked if I could get it published somewhere.
Oswald’s Mother Was a Thoroughly Disagreeable Piece of Work
Steve North
November 17, 2013
Without missing a beat, Marguerite replied, “That will be another two hundred dollars.”
Oswald’s Mother Was a Thoroughly Disagreeable Piece of Work
Steve North
November 17, 2013

Historical Examples of marguerite

Marguerite opened the door, and my mother came and pretended to be astonished.
My Double Life
Sarah Bernhardt
Marguerite helped me to arrange the cups, and I went into the drawing-room.
My Double Life
Sarah Bernhardt
My mother gave me permission to do so, and our old Marguerite was to accompany us.
My Double Life
Sarah Bernhardt
You asked me just now what malady it was that killed my poor Marguerite.
The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete
Emile Zola
Joan and Marguerite see a good deal of each other, you know.
Roden's Corner
Henry Seton Merriman

British Dictionary definitions for marguerite

marguerite

noun

a cultivated garden plant, Chrysanthemum frutescens, whose flower heads have white or pale yellow rays around a yellow disc: family Asteraceae (composites)
any of various related plants with daisy-like flowers, esp C. leucanthemum

Word Origin for marguerite

C19: from French: daisy, pearl, from Latin margarīta, from Greek margaritēs, from margaron

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

Word Origin and History for marguerite

"oxeye daisy," 1866, from French marguerite (see Margaret). "According to French etymologists, this use of F. marguerite is not from the personal name, but comes directly from the sense 'pearl.' " [OED] In Middle English, margaret "a daisy" is attested from early 15c.