gillyflower
See also: gilly-flower
English
Alternative forms
Etymology
By folk etymology (with influence from flower) from French girofle, gilofre, from Late Latin caryophyllum, from Ancient Greek καρυόφυλλον (karuóphullon, “dried flower buds of the clove tree”).
Pronunciation
Noun
gillyflower (plural gillyflowers)
- Clove pink.
- (by extension) Any clove-scented flower.
- Any of several species of wallflower.
- A variety of purplish-red apple with a roundish conical shape and a large core.
- (heraldry) A stylized representation of a carnation blossom, usually red, and shown with or without a slip and leaves.
Synonyms
Derived terms
- clove gillyflower
- marsh gillyflower
- Queen's gillyflower
- sea gillyflower
- stock-gillyflower
- wall gillyflower
- water gillyflower
- winter gillyflower
Translations
any clove-scented flower
variety of apple
Further reading
- gilliflower on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
- Michael Quinion (2004) “Gillyflower”, in Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds: Ingenious Tales of Words and Their Origins, Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Books in association with Penguin Books, →ISBN.