Hypertext Webster Gateway: "lily"

From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary (easton)

Lily
The Hebrew name shushan or shoshan, i.e., "whiteness", was used
as the general name of several plants common to Syria, such as
the tulip, iris, anemone, gladiolus, ranunculus, etc. Some
interpret it, with much probability, as denoting in the Old
Testament the water-lily (Nymphoea lotus of Linn.), or lotus
(Cant. 2:1, 2; 2:16; 4:5; 5:13; 6:2, 3; 7:2). "Its flowers are
large, and they are of a white colour, with streaks of pink.
They supplied models for the ornaments of the pillars and the
molten sea" (1 Kings 7:19, 22, 26; 2 Chr. 4:5). In the Canticles
its beauty and fragrance shadow forth the preciousness of Christ
to the Church. Groser, however (Scrip. Nat. Hist.), strongly
argues that the word, both in the Old and New Testaments,
denotes liliaceous plants in general, or if one genus is to be
selected, that it must be the genus Iris, which is "large,
vigorous, elegant in form, and gorgeous in colouring."

The lilies (Gr. krinia) spoken of in the New Testament (Matt.
6:28; Luke 12:27) were probably the scarlet martagon (Lilium
Chalcedonicum) or "red Turk's-cap lily", which "comes into
flower at the season of the year when our Lord's sermon on the
mount is supposed to have been delivered. It is abundant in the
district of Galilee; and its fine scarlet flowers render it a
very conspicous and showy object, which would naturally attract
the attention of the hearers" (Balfour's Plants of the Bible).

Of the true "floral glories of Palestine" the pheasant's eye
(Adonis Palestina), the ranunuculus (R. Asiaticus), and the
anemone (A coronaria), the last named is however, with the
greatest probability regarded as the "lily of the field" to
which our Lord refers. "Certainly," says Tristram (Nat. Hist. of
the Bible), "if, in the wondrous richness of bloom which
characterizes the land of Israel in spring, any one plant can
claim pre-eminence, it is the anemone, the most natural flower
for our Lord to pluck and seize upon as an illustration, whether
walking in the fields or sitting on the hill-side." "The white
water-lily (Nymphcea alba) and the yellow water-lily (Nuphar
lutea) are both abundant in the marshes of the Upper Jordan, but
have no connection with the lily of Scripture."

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)

Lily \Lil"y\ (l[i^]l"[y^]), n.; pl. {Lilies} (-[i^]z). [AS.
lilie, L. lilium, Gr. lei`rion. Cf. {Flower-de-luce}.]
1. (Bot.) A plant and flower of the genus {Lilium},
endogenous bulbous plants, having a regular perianth of
six colored pieces, six stamens, and a superior
three-celled ovary.

Note: There are nearly fifty species, all found in the North
Temperate zone. {Lilium candidum} and {L. longiflorum}
are the common white lilies of gardens; {L.
Philadelphicum} is the wild red lily of the Atlantic
States; {L. Chalcedonicum} is supposed to be the ``lily
of the field'' in our Lord's parable; {L. auratum} is
the great gold-banded lily of Japan.

2. (Bot.) A name given to handsome flowering plants of
several genera, having some resemblance in color or form
to a true lily, as {Pancratium}, {Crinum}, {Amaryllis},
{Nerine}, etc.

3. That end of a compass needle which should point to the
north; -- so called as often ornamented with the figure of
a lily or fleur-de-lis.

But sailing further, it veers its lily to the west.
--Sir T.
Browne.

{African lily} (Bot.), the blue-flowered {Agapanthus
umbellatus}.

{Atamasco lily} (Bot.), a plant of the genus {Zephyranthes}
({Z. Atamasco}), having a white and pink funnelform
perianth, with six petal-like divisions resembling those
of a lily. --Gray.

{Blackberry lily} (Bot.), the {Pardanthus Chinensis}, the
black seeds of which form a dense mass like a blackberry.


{Bourbon lily} (Bot.), {Lilium candidum}. See Illust.

{Butterfly lily}. (Bot.) Same as {Mariposa lily}, in the
Vocabulary.

{Lily beetle} (Zool.), a European beetle ({Crioceris
merdigera}) which feeds upon the white lily.

{Lily daffodil} (Bot.), a plant of the genus {Narcissus}, and
its flower.

{Lily encrinite} (Paleon.), a fossil encrinite, esp.
{Encrinus liliiformis}. See {Encrinite}.

{Lily hyacinth} (Bot.), a plant of the genus {Hyacinthus}.

{Lily iron}, a kind of harpoon with a detachable head of
peculiar shape, used in capturing swordfish.

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)

Lily \Lil"y\, n. (Auction Bridge)
A royal spade; -- usually in pl. See {Royal spade}, below.

From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)

lily
n : any liliaceous plant of the genus Lilium having showy
pendulous flowers


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