VOOZH about

URL: https://www.wordreference.com/definition/holly

⇱ holly - WordReference.com Dictionary of English

holly

Listen:
UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈhɒli/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/ˈhɑli/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(hol′ē)

Inflections of 'holly' (n): npl: hollies

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
hol•ly /ˈhɑli/USA pronunciation   n., pl. -lies. 
  1. Plant Biology[countable] a tree or shrub with glossy leaves and red berries.
  2. Plant Biology[uncountable] the leaves and berries of this tree or shrub.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
hol•ly  (hol′ē),USA pronunciation n., pl. -lies. 
  1. Plant Biologyany of numerous trees or shrubs of the genus Ilex, as I. opaca (American holly,) the state tree of Delaware, or I. aquifolium (English holly,) having glossy, spiny-toothed leaves, small, whitish flowers, and red berries.
  2. Plant Biologythe foliage and berries, used for decoration, esp. during the Christmas season.
  • Old High German hulis)
  • bef. 1150; Middle English holi(e), holyn, Old English hole(g)n; cognate with Welsh celyn, Irish cuillean; akin to Dutch, German hulst, French houx (

Hol•ly  (hol′ē),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. a female or male given name.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
holly /ˈhɒlɪ/ n ( pl -lies)
  1. any tree or shrub of the genus Ilex, such as the Eurasian I. aquifolium, having bright red berries and shiny evergreen leaves with prickly edges
  2. branches of any of these trees, used for Christmas decorations
  3. holly oak ⇒ another name for holm oak

See also sea hollyEtymology: Old English holegn; related to Old Norse hulfr, Old High German hulis, German Hulst, Old Slavonic kolja prick
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
Holly /ˈhɒlɪ/ n
  1. Buddy, real name Charles Harden Holley. 1936–59, US rock-and-roll singer, guitarist, and songwriter. His hits (all 1956–59) include "That'll be the Day", "Maybe Baby", "Peggy Sue", "Oh, Boy", "Think It Over", and "It Doesn't Matter Anymore"
'holly' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):

🗣️Forum discussions with the word(s) "holly" in the title:


Look up "holly" at Merriam-Webster
Look up "holly" at dictionary.com
  • Go to Preferences page and choose from different actions for taps or mouse clicks.

In other languages: Spanish | French | Italian | Portuguese | Romanian | German | Dutch | Swedish | Russian | Polish | Czech | Greek | Turkish | Chinese | Japanese | Korean | Arabic

Advertisements
Advertisements
Report an inappropriate ad.
WordReference.com
WORD OF THE DAY
GET THE DAILY EMAIL!
Become a WordReference Supporter to view the site ad-free.
Firefox users: use search shortcuts for the fastest search of WordReference.
Copyright © 2026 WordReference.com
Please report any problems.