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⇱ lily - WordReference.com Dictionary of English

lily

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UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈlɪli/

US:USA pronunciation: IPAUSA pronunciation: IPA/ˈlɪli/

US:USA pronunciation: respellingUSA pronunciation: respelling'lily': (lil′ē); 'Lily': (lil′ē female given name)


Inflections of 'lily' (n): npl: lilies

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
lil•y /ˈlɪli/USA pronunciation   n., pl. lil•ies, adj. 
n. [countable]
  1. Plant Biologya scaly-bulbed plant having showy, funnel-shaped or bell-shaped flowers.
  2. Plant Biologythe flower or the bulb of such a plant.
  3. Plant Biologya related or similar plant or flower.

adj. 
  1. white as a lily:her lily hands.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
lil•y  (lil′ē),USA pronunciation n., pl. lil•ies, adj. 
n. 
  1. Plant Biologyany scaly-bulbed plant of the genus Lilium, having showy, funnel-shaped or bell-shaped flowers. Cf. lily family.
  2. Plant Biologythe flower or the bulb of such a plant.
  3. Plant Biologyany of various related or similar plants or their flowers, as the mariposa lily or the calla lily.
  4. Heraldryfleur-de-lis, esp. as the symbol of France.
  5. Sport[Bowling.]a split in which the five, seven, and ten pins remain standing.
  6. Idioms gild the lily. See gild 1 (def. 4).

adj. 
  1. white as a lily:her lily hands.
  2. delicately fair:a lily maiden.
  3. pure;
    unsullied:the lily truth.
  4. pale;
    fragile;
    weak.
  • Latin līlium; compare Greek leírion
  • Middle English, Old English lilie bef. 1000
lil′y•like′, adj. 

Lil•y  (lil′e),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. a female given name.
Also, Lil′ly. 
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
lily /ˈlɪlɪ/ n ( pl lilies)
  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
Etymology: Old English, from Latin līlium; related to Greek leirion lilyˈlily-ˌlike adj
'lily' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Collocations: has lily [hands, feet, skin], told the lily truth, a [white, garden, water, yellow, pink, tiger] lily, more...

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

10-year-old Lily/10 year old Lily
A lily-livered hound with never a f*** in him, never had
A water lily grows in/from/out of mud
as pure hues of rose and lily as ever her humid gales...generated and screened, justified...the term
died Lily's hair
gild the lily/carry coals to Newcastle
He is a brother of Lily's / He is a brother of Lily
I just need to get Lily sleeping through
jumping like lily pads
leap onto the lily pad
leave Lily at no choice
Lily getting better / Lily's getting better [Posssesive with Gerunds]
Lily-livered
Lily's mother's bag
Madonna lily vs. white lily
my favourite kind of flower is lily / lilies ?
Rebecca has three times the strength of Lily.
Sam likes cold weather, while Lily prefers hot weather.
The girl looks like Lily when she (Lily) was a child
the> lily of the valley tree [article + plant species name]
the never-never ones: the white love of my youth, and that other poison-smelling lily, and the rest
threw "Lily Pound' in the Frog Pond.
to gild the lily
You be Lily.

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