LILY

I. noun (plural lilies) Etymology: Middle English lilie, from Old English, from Latin lilium Date: before 12th century any of a genus ( Lilium of the family Liliaceae, the ~ family) of erect perennial leafy-stemmed bulbous herbs that are native to the temperate northern hemisphere and are widely cultivated for their showy flowers, any of various plants with showy flowers: as, a scarlet anemone ( Anemone coronaria ) of the Mediterranean region, water ~ , calla ~ , fleur-de-lis 2, II. adjective Date: 15th century resembling a ~ in fairness, purity, or fragility