Gladioles

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A group of tall flowering plants known for their sword-shaped leaves and colorful spikes of trumpet-shaped blooms often used in floral arrangements
2. Plants characterized by long, slender leaves and densely clustered blossoms along upright stems, commonly cultivated for decorative garden and cut flowers
3. Bulbous herbaceous species bearing striking vertical flower spikes with vibrant petals, widely appreciated for ornamental purposes in gardens and bouquets

Etymology: "Gladioles" is the plural of "gladiole", a name for the tall, spiked flowers that the plant world calls gladiolus. The noun is a Latin word that came into English through Middle English, where the form "gladiol" was in use, so the English term has been around for centuries rather than being a recent garden import. The Latin "gladiolus" is a diminutive of "gladius", meaning "sword". The small suffix "-olus" turns the base into "little sword", and the image is of the plant's sword-shaped, pointed leaves, which rise in neat ranks from the corm. The flower is named for its foliage rather than its blossoms.

Synonyms: gladiolus, sword lilies, flower spikes