The housewife went about her work, or spun at her wheel, with a
lilt upon her lips.
J. C. Shairp.
Lil"y (ll"), n.; pl. Lilies (-z). [AS. lilie, L. lilium, Gr. lei`rion.
Cf. Flower-de- luce.]
1. (Bot.) A plant and flower of the genus Lilium, endogenous bulbous
plants, having a regular perianth of six colored pieces, six stamens,
and a superior three- celled ovary.
There are nearly fifty species, all found in the North Temperate zone.
Lilium candidum and L. longiflorum are the common white lilies of
gardens; L. Philadelphicum is the wild red lily of the Atlantic States;
L. Chalcedonicum is supposed to be the "lily of the field" in our
Lord's parable; L. auratum is the great gold-banded lily of Japan.
2. (Bot.) A name given to handsome flowering plants of several genera,
having some resemblance in color or form to a true lily, as Pancratium,
Crinum, Amaryllis, Nerine, etc.
3. That end of a compass needle which should point to the north; -- so
called as often ornamented with the figure of a lily or fleur-de-lis.
But sailing further, it veers its lily to the west.
Sir T. Browne.
African lily (Bot.), the blue- flowered Agapanthus umbellatus. --
Atamasco lily (Bot.), a plant of the genus Zephyranthes (Z. Atamasco),
having a white and pink funnelform perianth, with six petal-like
divisions resembling those of a lily. Gray. -- Blackberry lily (Bot.),
the Pardanthus Chinensis, the black seeds of which form a dense mass
like a blackberry. -- Bourbon lily (Bot.), Lilium candidum. See Illust.
-- Butterfly lily. (Bot.) Same as Mariposa lily, in the Vocabulary. --
Lily beetle (Zool.), a European beetle (Crioceris merdigera) which
feeds upon the white lily. -- Lily daffodil (Bot.), a plant of the
genus Narcissus, and its flower. -- Lily encrinite (Paleon.), a fossil
encrinite, esp. Encrinus liliiformis. See Encrinite. -- Lily hyacinth
(Bot.), a plant of the genus Hyacinthus. -- Lily iron, a kind of
harpoon with a detachable head of peculiar shape, used in capturing
swordfish. -- Lily of the valley (Bot.), a low perennial herb
(Convallaria majalis), having a raceme of nodding, fragrant, white
flowers. -- Lily pad, the large floating leaf of the water lily. [U.
S.] Lowell. -- Tiger lily (Bot.), Lilium tigrinum, the sepals of which
are blotched with black. -- Turk's-cap lily (Bot.), Lilium Martagon, a
red lily with recurved sepals; also, the similar American lily, L.
superbum. -- Water lily (Bot.), the Nymphæa, a plant with floating
roundish leaves, and large flowers having many petals, usually white,
but sometimes pink, red, blue, or yellow. [See Illust. of Nymphæa.]
Lil"y-hand`ed (-hnd`d), a. Having white, delicate hands.
Lil"y-liv`ered (-lv`rd), a. White-livered; cowardly.
Lil"y*wort` (-wûrt`), n. (Bot.) Any plant of the Lily family or order.
Lindley.
Lim (lm), n. [See Limb.] A limb. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Li"ma (l"m or l"m), n. The capital city of Peru, in South America.
Lima bean. (Bot.) (a) A variety of climbing or pole bean (Phaseolus
lunatus), which has very large flattish seeds. (b) The seed of this
plant, much used for food. -- Lima wood (Bot.), the beautiful dark wood
of the South American tree Cæsalpinia echinata.
<! p. 854 pr=VMG !>
Li*ma"ceous (l*m"shs), a. [L. limax, limacis, slug, snail: cf. F.
limacé.] (Zoöl.) Pertaining to, or like, Limax, or the slugs.
||Lim`a*ci"na (lm`*s"n), n. [NL., from L. limax, limacis, a slug.]
||(Zoöl.) A genus of small spiral pteropods, common in the Arctic and
||Antarctic seas. It contributes to the food of the right whales.
||
||Li`ma`çon" (l`m`sôN"), n. [F. limaçon, lit., a snail.] (Geom.) A
||curve of the fourth degree, invented by Pascal. Its polar equation is
||r = a cos θ + b.
||
Li"maille (l"ml; F. l`mä"y'), n. [F., fr. limer to file. See Limation.]
Filings of metal. [Obs.] "An ounce . . . of silver lymaille." Chaucer.
Li"man (l"man), n. [F. limon, fr. L. limus slime.] The deposit of slime
at the mouth of a river; slime.
Li*ma"tion (l*m"shn), n. [L. limatus, p. p. of limare to file, fr. lima
file : cf. F. limation.] The act of filing or polishing.
Li"ma*ture (l"m*tr; 135), n. [L. limatura. See Limation.] 1. The act of
filing.