water lily
noun
any of various aquatic plants of the genus Nymphaea, species of which have large, disklike, floating leaves and showy flowers, especially N. odorata, of America, or N. alba, of Europe.
Compare water lily family.
any related plant of the genus Nuphar.
a plant of the water lily family.
the flower of any such plant.
Origin of water lily
First recorded in 1540–50
Words nearby water lily
water key,
water leaf,
water lemon,
water lettuce,
water level,
water lily,
water lily family,
water lily tulip,
water line,
water locust,
water loss
Example sentences from the Web for water lily
British Dictionary definitions for water lily
water lily
noun
any of various aquatic plants of the genus Nymphaea and related genera, of temperate and tropical regions, having large leaves and showy flowers that float on the surface of the water: family Nymphaeaceae
any of various similar and related plants, such as the yellow water lily