Phyllis

[ fil-is ]

/ ˈfɪl ɪs /

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

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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST

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|DAILY BEAST
I groaned, my nerves quivering under the pitying eye of the cabman, and the early-Christian-martyr expression of Phyllis.
The Chauffeur and the Chaperon|C. N. Williamson
This was the first quarrel that he had ever had with Phyllis.
Southern Lights and Shadows|Various
Phyllis kept her face straight, and slipped one persuasive hand through her friend's arm.
The Rose Garden Husband|Margaret Widdemer
In the morning Phyllis showed traces of having spent a bad night.
Phyllis of Philistia|Frank Frankfort Moore
Phyllis knew that they must both be washed and dressed before she would have another chance to peep at her precious letter.
Madge Morton's Trust|Amy D. V. Chalmers

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.