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lily-white

 - 2 dictionary results

lil⋅y-white

[adj. lil-ee-hwahyt, -wahyt; n. lil-ee-hwahyt, -wahyt]
–adjective
1. white as a lily: soft lily-white skin.
2. pure; untouched by corruption or imperfection; above reproach: He tries to pass himself off as some sort of lily-white saint, but he's not.
3. designating or pertaining to any faction, organization, or group opposing the inclusion of blacks, esp. in political or social life.
–noun
4. a member of a lily-white organization, esp. a member of a former faction of the Republican party in the South opposed to the inclusion of blacks in the party or in political life in general.

Origin:
1275–1325; ME lylie-whyt


3. segregated, discriminatory, unintegrated.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To lily-white
lil·y-white   (lĭl'ē-hwīt', -wīt')
adj.  
  1. White as a lily.

  2. Beyond reproach; blameless.

  3. Informal Excluding or seeking to exclude Black people.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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