plantain lily

American

noun

any Japanese or Chinese plant of the genus Hosta, of the lily family, having large leaves and spikes or one-sided clusters of white, lilac, or blue flowers.

plantain lily British

noun

Also called: day lily. any of several Asian plants of the liliaceous genus Hosta, having broad ribbed leaves and clusters of white, blue, or lilac flowers

"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 plantain lily

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

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See Examples For:

plantain lily

Hummingbirds slid their noses into plantain lily hostas and delicate stems of purpletop vervain.

From Washington Post ● Aug. 31, 2022

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