Lily

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: lil=y

CIDE DICTIONARY

Lily, n. [AS. lilie, L. lilium, Gr. lei`rion. Cf. Flower-de-luce.].

•  A plant and flower of the genus Lilium, endogenous bulbous plants, having a regular perianth of six colored pieces, six stamens, and a superior three-celled ovary.  [1913 Webster]

  " There are nearly fifty species, all found in the North Temperate zone. Lilium candidum and Lilium longiflorum are the common white lilies of gardens; Lilium Philadelphicum is the wild red lily of the Atlantic States. Lilium Chalcedonicum is supposed to be the “lily of the field” in our Lord's parable; Lilium auratum is the great gold-banded lily of Japan."  [1913 Webster]
•  A name given to handsome flowering plants of several genera, having some resemblance in color or form to a true lily, as Pancratium, Crinum, Amaryllis, Nerine, etc.  [1913 Webster]
•  That end of a compass needle which should point to the north; -- so called as often ornamented with the figure of a lily or fleur-de-lis.  [1913 Webster]

  "But sailing further, it veers its lily to the west."  [1913 Webster]
•  A royal spade; -- usually in pl. See Royal spade, below.  [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

African lily (Bot.), the blue-flowered Agapanthus umbellatus. -- Atamasco lily (Bot.), a plant of the genus Zephyranthes (Zephyranthes Atamasco), having a white and pink funnelform perianth, with six petal-like divisions resembling those of a lily. Gray. -- Blackberry lily (Bot.), the Pardanthus Chinensis, the black seeds of which form a dense mass like a blackberry. -- Bourbon lily (Bot.), Lilium candidum. See Illust. -- Butterfly lily. (Bot.) Same as Mariposa lily, in the Vocabulary. -- Lily beetle (Zool.), a European beetle (Crioceris merdigera) which feeds upon the white lily. -- Lily daffodil (Bot.), a plant of the genus Narcissus, and its flower. -- Lily encrinite (Paleon.), a fossil encrinite, esp. Encrinus liliiformis. See Encrinite. -- Lily hyacinth (Bot.), a plant of the genus Hyacinthus. -- Lily iron, a kind of harpoon with a detachable head of peculiar shape, used in capturing swordfish. <-- illustration: Lily Iron --> -- Lily of the valley (Bot.), a low perennial herb (Convallaria majalis), having a raceme of nodding, fragrant, white flowers. <-- illustration: Lily of the valley --> -- Lily pad, the large floating leaf of the water lily. [U. S.] Lowell. -- Tiger lily (Bot.), Lilium tigrinum, the sepals of which are blotched with black. -- Turk's-cap lily (Bot.) Lilium Martagon, a red lily with recurved sepals; also, the similar American lily, Lilium superbum. -- Water lily (Bot.), the Nymphæa, a plant with floating roundish leaves, and large flowers having many petals, usually white, but sometimes pink, red, blue, or yellow. [See Illust. of Nymphæa.]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Lily, n. (pl. -ies)
1 a any bulbous plant of the genus Lilium with large trumpet-shaped often spotted flowers on a tall slender stem, e.g. the madonna lily and tiger lily. b any of several other plants of the family Liliaceae with similar flowers, e.g. the African lily. c the water lily.
2 a person or thing of special whiteness or purity.
3 a heraldic fleur-de-lis.
4 (attrib.) a delicately white (a lily hand). b pallid.

Idiom

lily-livered cowardly. lily of the valley any liliaceous plant of the genus Convallaria, with oval leaves in pairs and racemes of white bell-shaped fragrant flowers. lily-pad a floating leaf of a water lily. lily-white
1 as white as a lily.
2 faultless.

Derivative

lilied adj.

Etymology

OE lilie f. L lilium prob. f. Gk leirion

ROGET THESAURUS

Lily

Beauty

N beauty, the beautiful, to kalon, le beau ideal, aesthetics, callaesthetics, pulchritude, form, elegance, grace, beauty unadorned, natural beauty, symmetry, comeliness, fairness, polish, gloss, good effect, good looks, belle tournure, trigness, bloom, brilliancy, radiance, splendor, gorgeousness, magnificence, sublimity, sublimification, concinnity, delicacy, refinement, charm, je ne sais quoi, style, Venus, Aphrodite, Hebe, the Graces, Peri, Houri, Cupid, Apollo, Hyperion, Adonis, Antionous, Narcissus, peacock, butterfly, garden, flower of, pink of, bijou, jewel, work of art, flower, flow'ret gay, wildflower, rose, lily, anemone, asphodel, buttercup, crane's bill, daffodil, tulip, tiger lily, day lily, begonia, marigold, geranium, lily of the valley, ranunculus, rhododendron, windflower, pleasurableness, beautifying, landscaping, landscape gardening, decoration, calisthenics, beauty, hunk (of men), beautiful, beauteous, handsome, gorgeous, pretty, lovely, graceful, elegant, prepossessing, attractive, delicate, dainty, refined, fair, personable, comely, seemly, bonny, good-looking, well-favored, well-made, well-formed, well- proportioned, proper, shapely, symmetrical, harmonious, sightly, fit to be seen, passable, not amiss, goodly, dapper, tight, jimp, gimp, janty, jaunty, trig, natty, quaint, trim, tidy, neat, spruce, smart, tricksy, bright, bright eyed, rosy cheeked, cherry cheeked, rosy, ruddy, blooming, in full bloom, brilliant, shining, beamy, beaming, sparkling, splendid, resplendent, dazzling, glowing, glossy, sleek, rich, superb, magnificent, grand, fine, sublime, showy, specious, artistic, artistical, aesthetic, picturesque, pictorial, fait a peindre, well-composed, well grouped, well varied, curious, enchanting becoming, ornamental, undeformed, undefaced, unspotted, spotless, auxilium non leve vultus habet, beauty born of murmuring sound, flowers preach to us if we will hear, gratior ac pulchro veniens in corpore virtus, none but the brave deserve the fair, thou who hast the fatal gift of beauty.

Whiteness

N whiteness, argent, albification, etiolation, lactescence, snow, paper, chalk, milk, lily, ivory, alabaster, albata, eburin, German silver, white metal, barium sulphate, titanium oxide, blanc fixe, ceruse, pearl white, white lead, carbonate of lead, white, milk-white, snow-white, snowy, niveous, candid, chalky, hoar, hoary, silvery, argent, argentine, canescent, cretaceous, lactescent, whitish, creamy, pearly, fair, blond, blanched, high in tone, light, white as a sheet, white as driven snow, white as a lily, white as silver, like ivory.