lily

plural lilies · alternative obsolete lilly

1. Any of several flowers in the genus Lilium of the family Liliaceae, which includes a great many ornamental species.

   The engagement photos were set in a leafy bower festooned with pink and white roses, anemones, lilies and delphinium, like something straight out of an enchanted garden.

   2025 August 27, Vanessa Friedman, “The Ralph Lauren Look of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s Engagement Photos”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 27 Aug 2025

2. Any of several species of herbaceous flower which may or may not resemble the genus Lilium in some way, and which are not closely related to it or each other.
3. governmentThe flower used as a heraldic charge; also commonly used to describe the fleur-de-lis.
4. The end of a compass needle that should point north, traditionally often ornamented with the figure of a lily or fleur-de-lis.

   But sailing further, it veers its lily to the west.

   1646, Thomas Browne, Pseudodoxia Epidemica

5. plural normallycard gamesA royal spade in auction bridge.
6. cartomancyThe thirtieth Lenormand card, representing calmness and maturity.

1. derogatorynot comparableslangWhite (as a racial epithet).

   "Can't you see I'm trying to save your lily ass?" "I don't want to be saved," Tess moaned as he hauled her up and into his lap with one beefy hand.

   1994, Colleen Faulkner, Captive

1. A female given name from English, popular around 1900 and currently returning to favor.

   "Lily is such a romantic name. It sounds to me like soft music; it's the sort of name to make one dream of fanciful things." Lily smiled. "It's my grandmother's name. Coincidence, maybe, but she grew the most beautiful lilies."

   2001, Catherine Coulter, Hemlock Bay, Jove, published 2002, →ISBN, page 57

   1 more example

   "Poor little thing! She is very wee and frail, isn't she? Only two months old. We came away from the north, as soon as I was able to travel. She is called Lily." I remembered Horace having once told me that his mother's name had been Lilias.

   1866 August 11, Frances Eleanor Trollope, “The Tale of Aunt Margaret's Trouble”, in All the Year Round, page 100