lily
/ˈlɪli/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.95 in modern English
7
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
2
Syllables
3
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Any of several flowers in the genus Lilium of the family Liliaceae, which includes a great many ornamental species.
noun
Any of several species of herbaceous flower which may or may not resemble the genus Lilium in some way, and which are not closely related to it or each other.
noun
The end of a compass needle that should point north, traditionally often ornamented with the figure of a lily or fleur-de-lis.
noun
A royal spade in auction bridge.
Example Sentences
- "The engagement photos were set in a leafy bower festooned with pink and white roses, anemones, lilies and delphinium, like something straight out of an enchanted garden."
- "But sailing further, it veers its lily to the west."
- ""Can't you see I'm trying to save your lily ass?" "I don't want to be saved," Tess moaned as he hauled her up and into his lap with one beefy hand."
- ""Poor little thing! She is very wee and frail, isn't she? Only two months old. We came away from the north, as soon as I was able to travel. She is called Lily." I remembered Horace having once told me that his mother's name had been Lilias."
- ""Lily is such a romantic name. It sounds to me like soft music; it's the sort of name to make one dream of fanciful things." Lily smiled. "It's my grandmother's name. Coincidence, maybe, but she grew the most beautiful lilies.""
Etymology
From Middle English lilie, from Old English lilie, from Latin līlia, plural of līlium, from Ancient Greek λείριον (leírion). See there for more.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: lilie, līlia, λείριον