Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

gladiolus

/ɡlædɪˈoʊləs/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.18 in modern English

Syllables: glad-i-o-lus
IPA: /ɡlædɪˈoʊləs/

11

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

4

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The center part of the sternum.

noun

Any of several flowering plants, of the genus Gladiolus, having sword-shaped leaves and showy flowers on spikes; gladiola.

Example Sentences

"Hester Earle and Violet Wayne were moving about the aisle with bundles of wheat-ears and streamers of ivy, for the harvest thanksgiving was shortly to be celebrated, while the vicar stood waiting for their directions on the chancel steps with a great handful of crimson gladioli."

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin gladiolus (“little sword, sword lily”), diminutive of gladius (“sword”). Compare Middle English gladiol, whence gladiole.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ɡlædɪˈoʊləs/
British English: /ɡlædɪˈəʊləs/

Inflected Forms

gladioli (plural) gladioluses (plural) gladiola (alternative) gladiole (alternative)

Derived Forms

gladdie Gladiola gladiolin

Frequently Paired Words

gladiator

Synonyms

sword lily corpus sternum gladiola glad

Rhymes With

polis bolus colas polus bolas dolus

Questions

How do you pronounce gladiolus?: The recorded pronunciation is /ɡlædɪˈoʊləs/.
What does gladiolus mean?: The center part of the sternum.
Where does gladiolus come from?: Learned borrowing from Latin gladiolus (“little sword, sword lily”), diminutive of gladius (“sword”). Compare Middle English gladiol, whence gladiole.

How to pronounce gladiolus

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “gladiolus”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ɡlædɪˈoʊləs/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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