Gillyflowers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of flowering plant belonging to the carnation family, often characterized by fragrant blooms and vibrant colors
2. An herbaceous plant known for its clove-scented flowers, commonly found in gardens and associated with sweet scents
3. A floral species noted for its clusters of blossoms that are typically used in ornamental gardening and perfumery

Etymology: The name "gillyflower" started life as a clove. The Ancient Greek "karuophullon" meant the dried flower buds of the clove tree, and it passed through Late Latin "caryophyllum" into Old French as "girofle" and "gilofre". English speakers then reshaped the foreign word into something that looked like a familiar one, and "flower" was folded in, so a spice name became a flower name. The result is a little confusing, because the plants called gillyflowers are not cloves at all. Over time the name transferred from the spice to flowers that shared its clove-like scent, mainly the wallflower and the clove pink, both of which were prized in gardens for their fragrance. The word is the plural of "gillyflower", so it refers to several of these blooms at once.

Synonyms: carnations