Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Lily” come from?

Lily comes from Old English lilie, from Latin līlium, from Greek leirion, of uncertain origin.

Ancestry of “Lily”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishlilie—
2Old Englishlilie—
3Latinlīlia—
4Ancient GreekλείριονMadonna lily; paperwhite; autumn narcissus
5Fayyumic Copticϩⲗⲏⲣⲓ—
6Demoticḥrryflower
7Egyptianḥrrtflower, blossom

Words derived from “Lily”

  • Lilyanna
  • Lily
  • Lilia
Every word from Egyptian ḥrrt →