lily

1 of 2

noun

ˈli-lē 

plural lilies

1

: any of a genus (Lilium of the family Liliaceae, the lily family) of erect perennial leafy-stemmed bulbous herbs that are native to the temperate northern hemisphere and are widely cultivated for their showy flowers

broadly : any of various plants of the lily family or of the related amaryllis or iris families

2

: any of various plants with showy flowers: such as

a

: a scarlet anemone (Anemone coronaria) of the Mediterranean region

b

: water lily

c

: calla lily

3

: fleur-de-lis sense 2

lily-like adjective

or lilylike

ˈli-lē-ˌlīk 

lily

2 of 2

adjective

: resembling a lily in fairness, purity, or fragility

my lady's lily hand

—John Keats

Examples of lily in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Both lily turf and Natal lily spread by underground rhizomes so their territory in the garden will expand from year to year. —Joshua Siskin, Orange County Register, 14 Nov. 2024

Divide the flax lilies and liriope into smaller clumps and the bromeliads into individual plants. —Tom MacCubbin, Orlando Sentinel, 9 Nov. 2024

Adjective

Favorite foods include crinum lily, amaryllis and day lily plants, but they may be found on other ornamentals and edibles. —Tom MacCubbin, Orlando Sentinel, 29 Apr. 2023

The standard version of miso soup might involve little more than soft tofu, rehydrated seaweed and a lily-pad suspension of scallions, but at home, Ando said, there are no rules. —Eric Kim, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English lilie, from Old English, from Latin lilium

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing lily

• atamasco lily
• belladonna lily
• calla lily
• Easter lily
• fawn lily
• foxtail lily
• gild the lily
• jacobean lily
• lily-livered
• lily of the valley
• lily pad
• lily white
• Madonna lily
• mariposa lily
• plantain lily
• pond lily
• sand lily
• sea lily
• sego lily
• tiger lily
• trout lily
• water lily

Kids Definition

lily

noun

ˈlil-ē

plural lilies

: any of a genus of herbs with leafy stems that grow from bulbs and have funnel-shaped flowers

also : any of various related plants