Wallflowers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of plant belonging to the genus Erysimum, often found in rocky areas
2. individuals who are shy or introverted in social situations, typically standing aside during gatherings
3. a person who remains unnoticed at events, particularly dances or parties, often against their wishes

Etymology: Long before it described people, the name belonged to a plant. The wallflower is a fragrant, yellow or orange-flowered plant that takes root in crumbling masonry and old walls, and English speakers had been calling it that since at least the sixteenth century. Its earlier name, "wall-gillyflower," tied it to the clove-scented gillyflowers of gardens. The social sense came later, as a comparison. Someone who lingers against the wall at a dance, unpartnered and unlikely to step onto the floor, resembles a plant rooted to the same spot while the room moves around it. The image is of stillness and being left at the edges, not of any flaw in the person. The term was in figurative use by the nineteenth century, and it has stayed attached to the people standing on the sidelines ever since.