trillium

[tril-ee-uh m]

noun

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.

Nearby words

Origin of trillium

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for trillium

Hepaticas nearly always grow on the same slope, but they come into blossom about two days later than the trillium.
Some Spring Days in Iowa|Frederick John Lazell
As correlations, represent the trillium in colour and design an embroidery pattern based on it.
Ontario Teachers' Manuals: Nature Study|Ontario Ministry of Education
Every variety of bloom seemed of exaggerated growth, but the Trillium exceeded all.
Old-Time Gardens|Alice Morse Earle
The starry flowers of the Trillium hung on long peduncles, and the two-inch diameter of the ordinary blossom was doubled.
Old-Time Gardens|Alice Morse Earle

Find the ripened seed pods of the trillium, open them, count the number of chambers, and examine the seeds.
Ontario Teachers' Manuals: Nature Study|Ontario Ministry of Education

British Dictionary definitions for trillium

trillium

noun

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

Word Origin for trillium

C18: from New Latin, modification by Linnaeus of Swedish trilling triplet

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

Word Origin and History for trillium

trillium

1768, from Modern Latin trillium (Linnaeus, 1753), from Latin tri- "three" (see three). So called for its leaves.