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lily

1

[ lil-ee ]

noun

, plural lil·ies.
  1. any scaly-bulbed plant of the genus Lilium, having showy, funnel-shaped or bell-shaped flowers. Compare lily family.
  2. the flower or the bulb of such a plant.
  3. any of various related or similar plants or their flowers, as the mariposa lily or the calla lily.
  4. fleur-de-lis, especially as the symbol of France.
  5. Bowling. a split in which the five, seven, and ten pins remain standing.


adjective

  1. white as a lily:

    her lily hands.

  2. delicately fair:

    a lily maiden.

  3. pure; unsullied:

    the lily truth.

  4. pale; fragile; weak.

Lily

2
or Lil·ly

[ lil-e ]

noun

  1. a female given name.

lily

/ ˈlɪlɪ /

noun

  1. any liliaceous perennial plant of the N temperate genus Lilium, such as the Turk's-cap lily and tiger lily, having scaly bulbs and showy typically pendulous flowers
  2. the bulb or flower of any of these plants
  3. any of various similar or related plants, such as the water lily, plantain lily, and day lily


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Derived Forms

  • ˈlily-ˌlike, adjective

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Other Words From

  • lily·like adjective

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Word History and Origins

Origin of lily1

before 1000; Middle English, Old English lilie < Latin līlium; compare Greek leírion

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Word History and Origins

Origin of lily1

Old English, from Latin līlium; related to Greek leirion lily

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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. gild the lily. gild 1( def 4 ).

More idioms and phrases containing lily

see gild the lily .

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Example Sentences

They make sure that Dash and Lily are as interesting individually as they are when they’re Dash & Lily.

From Vox

Weinstock told The Lily that the university was not involved in the show’s production or casting.

Whether hunting or foraging, a deep knowledge of the world guided them—they knew the best way to take apart a reindeer, how to roast a tortoise or where to gather water-lily roots.

From Time

More than 90 percent of the lilies were hit with bubbles, but many more bubbles missed the blooms.

On a recent day in Iowa, two WD4C dogs, Utah and Lily, are working with biologist Aimee Hurt.

Lily Allen explained away the poor sales and ho-hum critical reception to Sheezus by…basically blaming other people.

One person who tuned into my story was Matt Creed, the director of Lily.

Tiger Lily and her tribe, however, were outfitted in semi-realistic outfits (read: nearly naked).

But only recently did this dispute spread to the lily-white slopes of a Montana ski resort.

At least for now, Modern Family is taking the less-is-more approach, and resisting turning it into The Lily Show.

Meanwhile Fleurette had her nourishing food, and grew more like the ghost of a lily every day.

The land that was desolate and impassable shall be glad, and the wilderness shall rejoice, and shall flourish like the lily.

She was fair as a lily, with bright golden hair, and bore no resemblance to this dark-eyed, black-browed wench.

Lily Pendleton was known to have once essayed an erotic novel, and had read a few chapters to some of her closer friends.

The ponds were half covered with the white water-lily, and some other aquatic plants of the country.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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