squill

[skwil]

noun

the bulb of the sea onion, Urginea maritima, of the lily family, cut into thin slices and dried, and used in medicine chiefly as an expectorant.
the plant itself.
any related plant of the genus Scilla.

Origin of squill

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin squilla, variant of scilla < Greek skílla

Related formssquill-like, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for squill

Historical Examples of squill

It is not improbable that the squill might have some share in this cure.
An Account of the Foxglove and some of its Medical Uses
William Withering
Blaze, Stubbs, and Squill chanced to be out that day along the shore.
The Crew of the Water Wagtail
R.M. Ballantyne
Squill, being in a meditative mood, had fallen behind his comrades.
The Crew of the Water Wagtail
R.M. Ballantyne
There was also a tail to the fish—which Squill called a “divil-fish”—shaped like a fin.
The Crew of the Water Wagtail
R.M. Ballantyne
These plants are known to the public as Meerzwiebel (sea onion or squill), but they are only related to that plant in appearance.
Cooley's Cyclopdia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades..., Sixth Edition, Volume I
Arnold Cooley

British Dictionary definitions for squill

squill

noun

See sea squill
the bulb of the sea squill, formerly used medicinally as an expectorant after being sliced and dried
any Old World liliaceous plant of the genus Scilla, such as S. verna (spring squill) of Europe, having small blue or purple flowers

Word Origin for squill

C14: from Latin squilla sea onion, from Greek skilla, of obscure origin

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