holly

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. Any of numerous trees or shrubs of the genus Ilex, usually having bright red berries and glossy evergreen leaves with spiny margins.
2. n. Branches of these plants, traditionally used for Christmas decoration.
3. n. Any of various similar or related plants.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A plant of the genus Ilex, natural order Ilicineæ. I. Aquifolium, the common European holly, of which there are many varieties, grows to the height of from 20 to 30 feet; the stem by age becomes large, and is covered with a smooth grayish bark, and set with branches which form a sort of cone. The leaves are oblong-oval, of a lucid green on the upper surface, but pale on the under surface; the edges are indented and waved, with sharp thorns terminating the points. The flowers grow in clusters, and are succeeded by roundish berries, which turn to a beautiful red about the end of September. This plant is a handsome evergreen, and excellently adapted for hedges and fences, since it bears clipping. The wood is hard and white, and is much employed for turnery-work, for drawing upon, for knife-handles, etc. Of the bark bird-lime is made by maceration. Houses and churches are adorned with the leaves and berries at Christmas. The American holly, I. opaca, is also an evergreen tree, reaching in some instances a height of 45 feet and a diameter of 4 feet. It is similar to the European holly, from which it differs in having less glossy deep-green foliage, less bright red berries, and the nutlets not so veiny. It is distributed generally from Massachusetts south, and west to the valley of the Colorado river, attaining its greatest development in the rich bottoms of Arkansas and eastern Texas. The wood is of the highest class for interior finish and turnery. The Dahoon holly, I. Dahoon, a smaller and less valuable tree than I. opaca, is a native of the southern United States. The California holly is Heteromeles arbutifolia.
2. n. The holm-oak, Quercus Ilex, an evergreen oak. Often called holly-oak.
3. An obsolete spelling of wholly.
4. n. In Tasmania, a shrub of the madder family, Coprosma hirtella. See coffee-berry, 2.

Wiktionary

1. n. Any of various shrubs or (mostly) small trees, of the genus Ilex, either evergreen or deciduous, used as decoration especially at Christmas.
2. n. The wood from this tree.
3. n. Any of several unrelated plant species likened to Ilex because of their prickly, evergreen foliage and/or round, bright-red berries

GNU Webster's 1913

1. adv. obsolete Wholly.
2. n. (Bot.) A tree or shrub of the genus Ilex. The European species (Ilex Aquifolium) is best known, having glossy green leaves, with a spiny, waved edge, and bearing berries that turn red or yellow about Michaelmas.
3. n. (Bot.) The holm oak. See 1st Holm.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. any tree or shrub of the genus Ilex having red berries and shiny evergreen leaves with prickly edges
2. n. United States rock star (1936-1959)