noun
amaryllis
am-uh-RIL-is/ˌæməˈrɪlɪs/
A plant grown from a bulb with large, trumpet-shaped flowers.
The amaryllis opens a large red flower above its long stem.
Etymology
Amaryllis was a literary shepherdess’s name that Linnaeus adopted for the flower. It derives from a verb meaning “sparkle” or “twinkle,” whose deeper origin may be Pre-Greek.
In context
monocots tends to have parallel veins in the leaves, such as this amaryllis here, where all the veins are running in straight lines down the leaf like that.
More examples
- She plants an amaryllis bulb in a deep pot.
- Several amaryllises brighten the greenhouse in winter.
- The heavy bloom makes the amaryllis stalk lean toward the window.
Forms
amaryllis · amaryllises
Similar words
- bulb
- Names a growing structure rather than the whole flowering plant.