calla lily
4
5.3
- noun
- /ˈkæl.ə ˈlɪ.li/
- South African
:
lirio de agua
- The pool sparkles turquoise, and the baskets of calla lilies float lazily around the tiled steps at the shallow end.
- white calla lilies
- calla lilies bloom
- baskets of calla lilies
Examples
-
For a moment, Lola only registers this: that the pool is shimmering crazily, that the baskets of calla lilies have begun to toss, and that something red is sinking slowly.
Fiction book (1995) -
Great vases of white calla lilies stood on the white marble mantels and on tables around the rooms.
Fiction book (1990) -
In her favorite picture of herself, she is 18 years old, in a field, smiling and holding a bunch of white calla lilies.
Academic text (2009) -
Look, Vance, the calla lilies are in bloom again.
-
Lindsay dragged her back through the room, past a grand piano crowned by a vase of calla lilies.
Fiction book (1993) -
Her back splits open; magnolia, plumeria, and calla lilies unfurl on her broken spine.
Fiction book (1993) -
The swimming pool will be decorated with specially made floating baskets of calla lilies and votive candles, to be lit at sundown.
Fiction book (1995) -
The front bed features calla lilies, white and pink, that just finished blooming.
-
Look, Vance, the calla lilies are in bloom again.
-
Great vases of white calla lilies stood on the white marble mantels and on tables around the rooms.
Synonyms
5
8.1
A plant with heart-shaped leaves and a white flower shaped like a funnel that grows near water
A plant with large arrow-shaped leaves and a showy white trumpet-shaped flower often called calla lily
A garden plant with a large white flower often used in bouquets
A plant with bright yellow cup-shaped flowers often grown in gardens
A pink calla lily that people grow for its pretty flowers
A lily with a pink flower grown for decoration in gardens
A garden plant with dark purple, trumpet-shaped flowers
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is directly compositional: both 'calla' and 'lily' are plant names, so 'calla lily' straightforwardly denotes a particular kind of flower. As each constituent contributes its botanical sense, a B1 learner who knows the words would readily infer it refers to a type of ornamental plant.
Etymology
Calla lily may come from the Greek word calla meaning 'beauty', and people added lily because the flower looks like a lily. That's why the name suggests a white, beautiful flower and is used for this showy garden plant.