alison
alison Lexical Profile
alison Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A female given name of medieval French origin (typically capitalized as Alison), originally a diminutive of Alice.
Any of various low-growing flowering plants of the mustard family (Brassicaceae), especially those of the genus Alyssum or sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima), cultivated in gardens for their dense clusters of small, fragrant white, yellow, or purple four-petaled blossoms.
"Bordering the stone pathway were low mounds of fragrant white alison that bloomed throughout the summer."
• Rhymes for alison
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
As a botanical name, it derives from Old French alison, from Latin alysson and Ancient Greek alysson, believed in antiquity to cure rabies (from a- 'not' and lyssa 'madness'). As a given name, it originated as a medieval French diminutive of Alice, from Old High German Adalheidis meaning 'noble kind'.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.