lily of the valley

noun phrase

: a low perennial herb (Convallaria majalis) of the asparagus family that has usually two large oblong lanceolate leaves and a raceme of fragrant nodding bell-shaped white flowers

Examples of lily of the valley in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The numeral 8—along with lily of the valley and a five-pointed star—was one of Monsieur Dior’s lucky symbols. —Maya Alzaben, Vogue, 30 Sep. 2025

In the photos, fans quickly spotted that Gomez’s wedding bouquet consisted of lily of the valley. —Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2025

Citruses like orange, gourmands like vanilla, and green florals like magnolia and lily of the valley can go strong for up to 30 hours, in some cases increasing the concentration of the fragrance ingredient by 300%. —Megan McIntyre, Allure, 16 Sep. 2025

Lilial is the common name for butylphenyl methylpropional, a synthetic fragrance component that gives off the scent of lily of the valley flowers. —Keyaira Boone, Essence, 5 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1563, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for lily of the valley

• alley
• alli
• bally
• calli
• challis
• dally
• galley
• galli
• lally
• mallee
• mally
• rally

Kids Definition

lily of the valley

: a low herb that is related to the lilies and has usually two large oblong leaves and a stalk of fragrant flowers shaped like bells

Medical Definition

lily of the valley

noun

lily of the val·​ley ˈlil-ē-əv-t͟hə-ˈval-ē 

plural lilies of the valley

1

: an erect low-growing perennial herb of the genus Convallaria (C. majalis) that has two large oblong lanceolate leaves and a raceme of fragrant nodding bell-shaped white flowers and is the source of convallaria, convallamarin, convallarin, and convallatoxin

2

: the dried rhizome and roots of the lily of the valley used as a cardiac tonic