daffodil
Americannoun
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a bulbous plant, Narcissus pseudonarcissus, of the amaryllis family, having solitary, yellow, nodding flowers that bloom in the spring.
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(formerly) any plant of the genus Narcissus.
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clear yellow; canary.
adjective
noun
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Also called: Lent lily. a widely cultivated Eurasian amaryllidaceous plant, Narcissus pseudonarcissus, having spring-blooming yellow flowers
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any other plant of the genus Narcissus
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a brilliant yellow colour
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( as adjective )
daffodil paint
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a daffodil, or a representation of one, as a national emblem of Wales
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of daffodil
1530–40; unexplained variant of Middle English affodile < Vulgar Latin affodillus, variant of asphodelus < Greek asphódelos asphodel
Vocabulary lists containing daffodil
Yellow
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Example Sentences
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See Examples For:
In Africa’s Lake Tanganyika, fish called daffodil cichlids also work together to raise their young.
From Slate ● May 10, 2026
The variety became the most well-known and widely grown pink daffodil for over 90 years.
From BBC ● Mar. 5, 2026
Twin Peaks, a tiny town near Lake Arrowhead, has planted thousands of daffodil bulbs as part of the Julie Greer Daffodil Project.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 2, 2025
Despite never entering a competition before, Kazzy scooped the top prize of daffodil earrings, later writing to the promoter to say she felt she was "meant to win".
From BBC ● Mar. 28, 2024
“And most of the time you don’t,” said a yellow one sitting in a daffodil.
From "The Phantom Tollbooth" by Norton Juster
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Flowers played a prominent role, with a spray of daffodils bursting from one skirt or the red-orange petals of California's poppy, the state flower, cascading down a dress.
From Barron's ● May 14, 2026
For the Mets, the daffodils are dead and optimism has taken the first flight from LaGuardia.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 22, 2026
Woodland fairies carrying giant daffodils or wearing hats covered in mushrooms.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2026
"Yellow daffodils are far and away the most popular, not unsurprising, for their welcome burst of colour," said Dr Kalman Konyves, the RHS's principal plant scientist.
From BBC ● Mar. 5, 2026
There’s a dried flower arrangement on either end of the mantelpiece, and a vase of real daffodils on the polished marquetry end table beside the sofa.
From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.