ˈād ə lˌwīs, -ˌvīs noun
( -es )
Etymology: German, from edel noble (from Old High German edili ) + weiss white (from Old High German hwīz, wīz ); akin to Old English æthelu nobility — more at atheling , white
1. : a small perennial herb ( Leontopodium alpinum ) having a dense woolly white pubescence and growing high in the Alps
2. : a New Zealand herb ( Leucogenes leontopodium ) related to and closely resembling the European edelweiss
3. : any of various plants of the genus Gnaphalium
[s]edelweis.jpg[/s]