gillyflower

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: gil=ly=flow=er

CIDE DICTIONARY

gillyflower, n. [OE. gilofre, gilofer, clove, OF. girofre, girofle, F. girofle: cf. F. giroflée gillyflower, fr. girofle, Gr. clove tree; nut + leaf, akin to E. foliage. Cf. Caryophyllus, July-flower.].

•  A name given by old writers to the clove pink (Dianthus Caryophyllus) but now to the common stock (Matthiola incana), a cruciferous plant with showy and fragrant blossoms, usually purplish, but often pink or white.  [1913 Webster]
•  A kind of apple, of a roundish conical shape, purplish red color, and having a large core.

Clove gillyflower, the clove pink. -- Marsh gillyflower, the ragged robin (Lychnis Flos-cuculi). -- Queen's gillyflower, or Winter gillyflower, damewort. -- Sea gillyflower, the thrift (Armeria vulgaris). -- Wall gillyflower, the wallflower (Cheiranthus Cheiri). -- Water gillyflower, the water violet.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

gillyflower, n.
1 (in full clove gillyflower) a clove-scented pink (see CLOVE(1) 2).
2 any of various similarly scented flowers such as the wallflower or white stock.

Etymology

ME gilofre, gerofle f. OF gilofre, girofle, f. med.L f. Gk karuophullon clove-tree f. karuon nut + phullon leaf, assim. to FLOWER