Definition

Noun: 1. An aquatic plant of the family Nymphaeaceae: A type of flowering plant that grows in water, typically having large, flat, floating leaves (lily pads) and showy, often fragrant flowers that rise above or float on the water's surface.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The pond was covered with beautiful white water lilies.
  • We paddled our canoe through a patch of water lilies.
  • The painting famously features a pond of water lilies.

Advanced Usage

• Botanical context: In scientific or gardening contexts, "water lily" specifically refers to plants within the Nymphaeaceae family, which includes both hardy and tropical varieties.
  • The Victoria amazonica is a giant species of water lily.

Variants and Related Words

• Water lily family (Nymphaeaceae): The botanical family to which water lilies belong.
• Lily pad: The common term for the large, round, floating leaf of a water lily plant.
  • A frog sat on a lily pad.

Synonyms

• Nymphaea (scientific genus name for many common water lilies).
• Pond lily (a less common general synonym).

Related Idioms or Phrases

• : Sometimes used poetically to describe something beautiful, serene, or rooted in one place while appearing to float effortlessly.
  • She moved through the crowd with the grace of a water lily.

Noun

1. an aquatic plant of the family Nymphaeaceae