gillyflower
See also: gilly-flower
English edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
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 edit
Noun edit
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 edit
Derived terms edit
Derived terms
Translations edit
any clove-scented flower
variety of apple
Further reading edit
- 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.