Amaryllis

Amaryllis


belladonna lily  
n.   A bulbous, perennial southern African herb (Amaryllis belladonna) having showy umbels of large trumpet-shaped flowers that appear in the fall after the spring leaves die back. Also called amaryllis.
am·a·ryl·lis    Audio Help   (ām'ə-rĭl'ĭs)   

n.  
  1. Any of several chiefly tropical American bulbous plants of the genus Hippeastrum grown as ornamentals for their large, showy, funnel-shaped, variously colored flowers that are grouped in umbels.

  2. See belladonna lily.

  3. Any of several similar or related plants.

  4. Amaryllis Used in classical pastoral poetry as a conventional name for a shepherdess.


[New Latin Amaryllis, genus name, from Latin, name of a shepherdess, from Greek Amarullis.]
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
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