noun
asphodel
AS-fuh-del/ˈæsfəˌdɛl/
A flowering plant traditionally associated with death and the underworld.
The poet places asphodel flowers in an imagined meadow of the dead.
Etymology
The Greek plant name has no known deeper origin. Its mythological association comes from its role as a plant of the dead, covering the Elysian meadows.
In context
The meadows were a neutral zone characterized by endless fields of pale asphodel flowers which some myths suggest served as sustenance for the departed.
More examples
- Pale asphodels rise above the grass.
- The guide identifies an asphodel beside the path.
- The painting uses asphodel to suggest the ancient underworld.
Forms
asphodel · asphodels