trillium

noun

tril·​li·​um ˈtri-lē-əm 

: any of a genus (Trillium of the family Melanthiaceae) of herbs with an erect stem bearing a whorl of three leaves and a solitary typically spring-blooming flower

Illustration of trillium

Examples of trillium in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Pine, oak, maple, beech, hemlock, witch hazel, lady’s slipper, pitcher plant, trillium, Indian pipe. —Sharon Olds, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025

Nowadays, the woodland preserve is brimming with native plants, lush with trillium, wild ginger and Jack in the Pulpits and more. —Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 19 Nov. 2025

Come in spring when migratory warblers fill the trees and trilliums bloom along the Heron Rookery Trail. —Alexandra Gillespie, AFAR Media, 19 Sep. 2025

Sewanee’s summer wildflowers include harbinger-of-spring, bloodroot, great white trillium, pink lady’s slippers, and mountain laurel. —Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 15 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Swedish trilling triplet; from its three leaves

First Known Use

circa 1760, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing trillium

• painted trillium

Rhymes for trillium

• ileum
• lilium
• psyllium
• beryllium
• concilium
• penicillium
• verticillium

Kids Definition

trillium

noun

tril·​li·​um ˈtril-ē-əm 

: any of a genus of herbs related to the lilies that have three large leaves arranged around the upright stem at the same level and a single flower with three petals at the end of the stem

called also wake-robin