trillium

American  

[tril-ee-uhm] / ˈtrɪl i əm /

noun

1. any of several plants belonging to the genus Trillium, of the lily family, having a whorl of three leaves from the center of which rises a solitary, three-petalled flower.

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trillium British  

/ ˈtrɪljəm /

noun

1. any herbaceous plant of the genus Trillium , of Asia and North America, having a whorl of three leaves at the top of the stem with a single central white, pink, or purple three-petalled flower: family Trilliaceae

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Etymology

Origin of trillium

< New Latin (Linnaeus), apparently alteration of Swedish trilling triplet, alluding to the foliation

Example Sentences

Like the three-petaled trillium, the book has three sections.

From The Wall Street Journal

Flowering cherry trees and trilliums are some of the first hints that the Northwest is shifting from its chilly mood to a more hospitable demeanor.

From Seattle Times

Ella riffled through the cabinet of herbs, eyes scanning over all the little drawers of dried roots and plants, the labels in Latin: trillium grandiflorum, viburnum, eugenia pimenta, and so on.

From Literature

Stop to catch your breath and admire the trillium blooming along the trailside.

From Seattle Times

After being freed from their vines, nine oaks now shelter two kinds of camas, plus alliums, trillium, red flowering currant and more, among prairie grasses.

From Seattle Times