Fritillary
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 Any of several bulbous perennial plants, of the genus Fritillaria, having flowers with a spotted or chequered pattern.
"Fritillaries are as fundamental a part of the British water meadow landscape as Ratty and Mole slowly punting along under a willow tree. They speak of opalescent spring mornings, with their distinctive chequered bells bowed earthward and beaded with dew, a dark counterpoint to the acid-fresh grass."
- 2 butterfly with brownish wings marked with black and silver wordnet
- 3 Any of several butterflies, of the family Nymphalidae, having wings with black or silvery spots.
- 4 any liliaceous plant of the genus Fritillaria having nodding variously colored flowers wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
More examples"Fritillaries are as fundamental a part of the British water meadow landscape as Ratty and Mole slowly punting along under a willow tree. They speak of opalescent spring mornings, with their distinctive chequered bells bowed earthward and beaded with dew, a dark counterpoint to the acid-fresh grass."
Etymology
From Latin fritillus (“dice-box, or possibly, checkerboard”).
Related phrases
More for "fritillary"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.