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water lily

noun

any of various aquatic plants of the genus Nymphaea, species of which have large, disklike, floating leaves and showy flowers, especially N. odorata, of America, or N. alba, of Europe.Compare water lily family.
any related plant of the genus Nuphar.
a plant of the water lily family.
the flower of any such plant.

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Origin of water lily

First recorded in 1540–50

Words nearby water lily

waterleaf family, waterless, waterless cooker, water lettuce, water level, water lily, water lily family, water lily tulip, water line, waterlocked, water locust
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for water lily

British Dictionary definitions for water lily

water lily

noun

any of various aquatic plants of the genus Nymphaea and related genera, of temperate and tropical regions, having large leaves and showy flowers that float on the surface of the water: family Nymphaeaceae
any of various similar and related plants, such as the yellow water lily
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