May lily
- noun
- UK
:
lirio de los valles
- After flowering, the May lily produces bright scarlet berries in late summer.
Examples
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She identified the plant as May lily by its distinctive bell-shaped flowers.
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The woods were carpeted with blooming May lily as spring arrived.
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The May lily blooms beautifully in spring.
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I found a patch of May lilies in the garden.
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In the garden, the May lily stands out with its lovely bell-shaped flowers and vibrant green leaves.
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During our hike, we spotted a cluster of May lily plants growing near the edge of the forest.
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By late summer, the May lily will be adorned with bright scarlet berries, adding color to the landscape.
Synonyms
2
5.3
A small garden plant with broad leaves and white bell-shaped flowers that smell sweet
A low plant with two leaves, small sweet white bell-shaped flowers and poisonous red berries
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is a straightforward combination of 'May' (the month) + 'lily' (a flowering plant), so a B1 learner who knows both words will naturally infer it refers to a lily associated with the month of May (i.e., a plant that blooms or is notable in May). Naming plants by month or season is a common, cross-linguistic compositional pattern, so the meaning is directly derivable from the constituents.
Etymology
May lily gets its name from the month May when it usually flowers and from lily because its small, bell-shaped blooms look like little lilies. That's why the name points to a spring-flowering, lily-like plant that later makes red berries.