narcissus

noun

nar·​cis·​sus när-ˈsi-səs 

1

capitalized : a beautiful youth in Greek mythology who pines away for love of his own reflection and is then turned into the narcissus flower

2

plural narcissi när-ˈsi-ˌsī 

-(ˌ)sē

or narcissuses or narcissus : daffodil

especially : one whose flowers have a short corona and are usually borne separately

Examples of narcissus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

On the west wall, a reclaimed bakery shelf holds ceramic pots and wooden bowls of snowdrop and narcissus bulbs. —Aimee Farrell Emli Bendixen, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2023

Are both tulips and narcissus showing the same symptoms? —oregonlive, 18 Mar. 2023

In the heart of this fragrance are white lily, marigold and narcissus. —Dallas News, 30 Nov. 2022

According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, December has two birth flowers: holly (good for Christmas decorations, but birthdays not so much) and the paperwhite narcissus. —Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2022

Canary yellow narcissus Baby Moon daffodils had started pushing up through the soil. —Betsy Vereckey, Washington Post, 31 Aug. 2022

Funny how two yellow narcissus, a hummingbird and a cerulean sky will put you in a good mood. —Kevin Fisher-Paulson, San Francisco Chronicle, 2 Mar. 2021

Finish planting spring flowering bulbs such as daffodils, Dutch irises, narcissus or lilies by early December. —Dan Gill, NOLA.com, 25 Nov. 2020

Hitachi also has the most narcissus plants and varieties in Japan, with about 1 million daffodils blooming from late March to mid-April every year. —Andrea Beck, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 Apr. 2020

Word History

Etymology

Latin, from Greek Nárkissos, probably so named after the flower; (sense 2) borrowed from New Latin, genus name, going back to Latin, "plant of the genus Narcissus," borrowed from Greek nárkissos, of pre-Greek substratal origin

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

narcissus

noun

nar·​cis·​sus när-ˈsis-əs 

plural narcissi -ˈsis-ˌī 

-ē

or narcissuses or narcissus

: daffodil

especially : one whose flowers have a short tube and grow separately on the stalk