water lily
4
1.9
- noun
- /ˈwɔːtər ˈlɪli/
:
lirio de agua
- As the sun rose, I admired the water lilies stretching their petals towards the light.
- water lily flower
Examples
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But the water lilies are really worth seeing there.
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You'll know summer is still here when you see the water lilies push their bright blooms up through the water.
Academic text (1997) -
Among the water lilies, some species bloom exclusively by day and others by night.
Academic text (2017) -
Students explore "theme and variations" in visual art by looking at Monet's water lily paintings.
Academic text (2011) -
You take me to the art museum and we stare at Monet's water lilies, and you say, isn't that magnificent?
Fiction book (2002) -
Shady trees leaned over it, and rushes and water lilies grew at the deep end.
Fiction book (1996) -
Behind the bridge is foliage; below, the inevitable water lilies in two main ranks, floating in the reflection of the foliage.
Academic text (1998) -
Who doesn't love those large, amorphous water lilies of Claude Monet, thought to be among his greatest creations?
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The calm pond was covered in beautiful white and pink water lilies floating on the surface.
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In the summer, water lilies bloom, creating a stunning display of color in the lake.
Synonyms
1
3.0
A plant that grows in water with large flat leaves and big flowers on the surface
A water lily plant with round leaves and large flowers that float on water
A water lily with fragrant white flowers that grows in lakes and ponds in Europe and nearby Africa and Asia
A water plant with large floating leaves and fragrant white flowers
A water plant with large white flowers that float on ponds
A water plant with big floating leaves and sweet smelling flowers
A water plant with large round leaves that float on ponds and showy flowers
A white water lily that grows on water in Egypt and nearby regions, once sacred to the ancient Egyptians
A water plant with broad leaves and round yellow flowers that floats on calm water
A water plant with broad floating leaves and round yellow flowers that grows in quiet ponds
A plant with yellow flowers that grows in ponds and slow-moving water
How Big
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'an aquatic lily' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'water' (aquatic environment) with 'lily' (a flowering plant); the compound literally describes a lily that grows in water. This noun+noun compositional pattern is common and cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows both words can readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
The noun water lily comes from the simple image of a lily growing on the water, with round leaves and pretty flowers that seem to float on the surface. So, water lily means 'a plant that grows in water and has large floating leaves and pretty flowers'.