Definition of royal water lily
1 : a South American water lily (Victoria amazonia) with large circular leaves
— called also Amazon water lily, giant water lily
2 : a lily (Victoria cruziana) of Paraguay that is closely related to the royal water lily for which it is often substituted in the horticultural trade and has flowers which turn pinkish red
Keep scrolling for more
Test Your Vocabulary
Slippery Words Quiz—Changing with the Times
- What is an earlier meaning of nice?

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
A daily challenge for crossword fanatics.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridgedWords at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
Slippery Words Quiz—Changing with the Times
Do you know these earlier meanings of words?
Take the quizWords of Snow and Ice Quiz
A selection of words from the chillier parts of t...
Take the quizTrue or False?
Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something a...
Take the quizWord Winder's CrossWinder Play the game
Share royal water lily
Time Traveler for royal water lily
The first known use of royal water lily was circa 1849
See more words from the same year