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Definition of lily of the nile

lily of the nile

Plural:lilies of the Nile
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lily of the nile Lexical Profile

• noun

1

A perennial herbaceous plant of the genus Agapanthus, native to Southern Africa, characterized by basal strap-like leaves and tall stalks bearing globe-shaped clusters of blue, purple, or white funnel-shaped flowers.

Example

"The landscape designer planted a dense border of lily of the Nile to add striking globes of blue to the summer garden."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for lily of the nile

Word Nuance & Usage

Despite its common name, the lily of the Nile is a misnomer; the plant is neither a true lily nor native to the Nile River basin, but rather originates from Southern Africa.

• Nearby Words

lilongwe
lily
lily of the incas
lily of the nile
lily of the valley
lima
lima bean

Word Origin & Etymology

Derived from its visual resemblance to true lilies and an early, mistaken geographical association with the African continent as a whole, generalized to the famous Nile river.

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Lily of the nile. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 14, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/lily of the nile
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