narcissus
any bulbous plant belonging to the genus Narcissus, of the amaryllis family, having showy yellow or white flowers with a cup-shaped corona.
the flower of any of these plants.
(initial capital letter)Classical Mythology. a youth who fell in love with his own image reflected in a pool and wasted away from unsatisfied desire, whereupon he was transformed into the flower.
Origin of narcissus
1Words Nearby narcissus
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use narcissus in a sentence
Calm down and reacquaint yourself with the myth of narcissus.
In Defense of the Selfie, Oxford English Dictionary’s Word of the Year | James Poulos | November 20, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTAt first glance, this makes us seem even worse than narcissus.
In Defense of the Selfie, Oxford English Dictionary’s Word of the Year | James Poulos | November 20, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST“I am going to be the nominee,” the modern-day narcissus declared while gazing at his reflection in the polls.
Kirsten Powers: Newt Gingrich Is in Love With Himself | Kirsten Powers | December 7, 2011 | THE DAILY BEASTWe set the narcissus poeticus bulbs where, if they grew, the flowers could look at themselves in the mirror below the dam.
The Idyl of Twin Fires | Walter Prichard EatonMaugiron was playing with narcissus, the large greyhound, and Quelus was sitting near.
Chicot the Jester | Alexandre Dumas, Pere
Not so, sire; I place narcissus far above you, for he knows how to defend himself, and you do not.
Chicot the Jester | Alexandre Dumas, PereZelphine and I have decided that we will never acknowledge this to be a Dionysus or anything less poetic than the narcissus.
Italian Days and Ways | Anne Hollingsworth WhartonThe “Times” is the secluded pool into which England loves to gaze when it plays the rle of narcissus.
British Dictionary definitions for narcissus (1 of 2)
/ (nɑːˈsɪsəs) /
any amaryllidaceous plant of the Eurasian genus Narcissus, esp N. poeticus, whose yellow, orange, or white flowers have a crown surrounded by spreading segments
Origin of narcissus
1British Dictionary definitions for Narcissus (2 of 2)
/ (nɑːˈsɪsəs) /
Greek myth a beautiful youth who fell in love with his reflection in a pool and pined away, becoming the flower that bears his name
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
Cultural definitions for Narcissus
A beautiful youth in classical mythology who fell in love with his own reflection in a pool. Because he was unable to tear himself away from the image, he wasted away and died.
Notes for Narcissus
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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