Phyllis

[fil-is]

noun

a name used in pastoral literature, as the Eclogues of Vergil, for a country girl or sweetheart.

Also Phyl·iss. a female given name: from a Greek word meaning “green leaf.”

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for phyllis

Contemporary Examples of phyllis

Her friends Phyllis Cunningham, 75, and Eva-Lee Baird, 74, stood with her.
Eric Garner Protests: ‘It’s Like Vietnam’
Abby Haglage, Caitlin Dickson, Jacob Siegel, Chris Allbritton
December 5, 2014
Phyllis, who was a nurse, went down to Mississippi to provide medical care for people like Joan.
Eric Garner Protests: ‘It’s Like Vietnam’
Abby Haglage, Caitlin Dickson, Jacob Siegel, Chris Allbritton
December 5, 2014
The crusty conservative battle-ax Phyllis Schlafly is giving speeches saying that Obama worships government like a god.
RFRA Madness: What’s Next for Anti-Democratic ‘Religious Exemptions’
Jay Michaelson
November 16, 2014
Phyllis is a short, stocky, enraged-seeming woman with a high, strident voice and piercing stare.
The Stacks: The Judas Priest Teen Suicide Trial
Ivan Solotaroff
June 28, 2014
I nod my head and try to concentrate on what Phyllis is telling me, but my eye keeps wandering across her yard.
The Stacks: The Judas Priest Teen Suicide Trial
Ivan Solotaroff
June 28, 2014

Historical Examples of phyllis

Persons of our rank do not marry like the Corydon and Phyllis of a pastoral.
Alice, or The Mysteries, Complete
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
He called up the subject at once, and we have seen the close of his interview with Phyllis.
Southern Lights and Shadows
Various
Phyllis interrupted him with an impatient laugh, but said no more.
Southern Lights and Shadows
Various
I am sorry it is your father I must beat, but, Phyllis, I must be nominated.
Southern Lights and Shadows
Various
This was the first quarrel that he had ever had with Phyllis.
Southern Lights and Shadows
Various

Word Origin and History for phyllis

Phyllis

fem. proper name, generic proper name for a comely rustic maiden in pastoral poetry (1630s), from Latin Phyllis, a girl's name in Virgil, Horace, etc., from Greek Phyllis, female name, literally "foliage of a tree," from phyllon leaf," from PIE *bholyo- "leaf," from root *bhel- (3) "to thrive, bloom," possibly identical with *bhel- (2) "to blow, inflate, swell" (see bole). In English, often spelled Phillis, probably from influence of phil- "loving." Her sweetheart usually was Philander.