asphodel

views updated May 14 2018

as·pho·del / ˈasfəˌdel/ • n. 1. a Eurasian plant (genera Asphodelus and Asphodeline) of the lily family, typically having long slender leaves and flowers borne on a spike. See also bog asphodel. 2. poetic/lit. an immortal flower said to grow in the Elysian fields.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

asphodel

views updated Jun 08 2018

asphodel an everlasting flower said to grow in the Elysian fields. The name is recorded from late Middle English and comes via Latin from the Greek base of daffodil.

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable ELIZABETH KNOWLES

asphodel

views updated May 17 2018

asphodel liliaceous plant. XVI. — L. asphodelus — Gr. asphódelos. See DAFFODIL.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

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