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Glite Dictionary
globe lily

globe lily

9.3
A North American plant with small round flowers often grown in gardens
  • noun
  • /ɡloʊb ˈlɪli/
  • US
translation icon : lirio de globo
  • The globe lily is prized by gardeners for its delicate, globe-shaped blossoms.

Examples

  • Hiking in California, we spotted several globe lily plants in bloom along the trail.

  • Botanists studied the habitat preferences of the rare white globe lily in the wild.

  • The globe lily bloomed beautifully in the garden.

  • I love the vibrant colors of globe lilies.

  • Hiking in California, we spotted several globe lily plants in bloom along the trail.

  • The globe lily is prized by gardeners for its delicate, globe-shaped blossoms.

  • Botanists studied the habitat preferences of the rare white globe lily in the wild.

Synonyms

fairy lantern
vsglobe lily
  • Specialized
9.9

A small plant that has egg shaped flowers

is more specific having globe-shaped flowers and grown for ornament
Calochortus
vsglobe lily
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of bulb plants with bright, tulip-like flowers from western North America

refers to a specific group with globe-shaped flowers used ornamentally

Surface Forms

globe lily singular
globe lilies plural

Morphology

globe + lily

The compound 'globe lily' is transparently built from 'globe' (spherical) modifying 'lily' (a flowering plant), so the meaning 'a lily with globe-shaped flowers' is directly inferable. This noun+noun descriptive pattern is common and cross-linguistically regular, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will understand the MWE.

Etymology

Globe lily comes from its round, ball-shaped flower. The word globe means 'round ball' and lily shows it is a flower, so the name helps you remember what the plant looks like.