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• Star of Bethlehem
  Star of Bethlehem

  noun

  the star that guided the Magi to the manger of the infant Jesus in Bethlehem. Matthew 2:1–10.
• star-of-Bethlehem
  star-of-Bethlehem

  noun

  any of several plants belonging to the genus Ornithogalum, of the lily family, having grasslike leaves and clusters of white flowers.

Star of Bethlehem

¹ American  

noun

1. the star that guided the Magi to the manger of the infant Jesus in Bethlehem. Matthew 2:1–10.

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star-of-Bethlehem ² American  

[stahr-uhv-beth-lee-uhm, -li-hem] / ˈstɑr əvˈbɛθ li əm, -lɪˌhɛm /

noun

• stars-of-Bethlehem
  plural

1. any of several plants belonging to the genus Ornithogalum, of the lily family, having grasslike leaves and clusters of white flowers.

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star-of-Bethlehem ¹ British  

noun

1. Also called: starflower.  a Eurasian liliaceous plant, Ornithogalum umbellatum , naturalized in the eastern US, having narrow leaves and starlike white flowers

2. any of several similar and related plants

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Star of Bethlehem ² British  

noun

1. the star that is supposed to have appeared above Bethlehem at the birth of Christ

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• stars-of-Bethlehem
  plural

Etymology

Origin of star-of-Bethlehem

First recorded in 1565–75

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Star of Bethlehem star-of-Bethlehem

The Star of Bethlehem has now been reglazed as part of the conservation project, which the museum said had revealed the richness of Burne-Jones's colours.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2022

Use caution: Onion grass has a poisonous lookalike called Star of Bethlehem.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 5, 2019

A slender golden pillar completes the set as the Star of Bethlehem.

From The Guardian ● Dec. 20, 2012

The display created by artist church member John Zachary includes the phrase “Christ is born” and a Star of Bethlehem but no traditional manger figures.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 29, 2011

Its most essential features were the appearance of the Star of Bethlehem to the Magi, and their offering of the mystic gifts.

From Christmas in Ritual and Tradition, Christian and Pagan by Clement A. Miles

Leonardo could bring a steely exactitude and transparent freshness of observation to a botanical drawing, like the star-of-Bethlehem plant that he drew as a study for his lost painting of Leda and the swan.

From Time Magazine Archive