lily

noun \ ˈli-lē \

|Updated on: 8 Aug 2018

Definition of lily

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 2

—

lily-like

or lilylike play \ˈli-lē-ˌlīk\ adjective

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See lily defined for kids

Recent Examples of lily from the Web

The candle offers head notes of bergamot and gardenia, heart notes of carnation, jasmine, and ylang-ylang, and base notes of lily and vanilla.

— kelly conaboy, The Cut, "The Perfect Candle for Lovers of Stickers and Romance," 22 June 2018
Another woman said thank you after receiving a lily while sitting at a red light.

— kayla o'brien, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Motorcyclist gives out flowers in traffic for Mother's Day in Central Florida," 14 May 2018
Red and blue lilies bloom from a shared stem against a gold ground, framed by a blue and white border one might mistake for tiles with stylized lotus blossoms and butterflies.

— lee lawrence, WSJ, "‘Dramatic Threads: Textiles of Asia’ Review: The Very Fabric of Asian Societies," 17 Mar. 2018
The lilies, traditionally associated with the Virgin Mary, are translucent and look decayed.

— OregonLive.com, "Women push to the forefront in Elizabeth Malaska's new art exhibit," 7 Feb. 2018
Columbia Lily Safe below the soil, almost all bulbs can tolerate low intensity burns—but the Columbia lily is one of the most beautiful to grow.

— Sunset, "Top 9 Fire-Resistant Native Plants," 22 Jan. 2018
Another big category to keep your pets from gnawing is aroids (aka arums), the group of plants including philodendrons, pothos, peace lily (Spathiphyllum), arrowhead plants (Syngonium), elephant ear (Caladium), Dieffenbachia and others.

— kenneth setzer, miamiherald, "Some of South Florida's most popular plants may be toxic to pets," 14 June 2018
Michael Clevenger/Courier Journal Louisvillians are no strangers to the red rose or the stargazer lily, the quintessential blooms for the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks races.

— darcy costello, The Courier-Journal, "Thousands of blooming flowers make Churchill Downs the world's 'most iconic race track'," 1 May 2018
White lilies, red tulips, and yellow daffodils encircled the altar.

— denise coffey, Courant Community, "Westfield Tolls Its Bell For Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.," 23 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lily.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.