Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. Any of several widely cultivated bulbous plants of the genus Narcissus, having long narrow leaves and usually white or yellow flowers characterized by a cup-shaped or trumpet-shaped central crown.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A plant of the genus Narcissus. See cut under cyathiform.
- n. A genus of monocotyledonous plants of the order Amaryllidaceæ and the tribe Amarylleæ, known by its undivided cup-shaped corona. There are about 20 species, mainly European, with narrow upright leaves from a coated bulb; they are favorite garden-plants, mostly hardy, bearing their conspicuous yellow or white, often fragrant, blossoms in early spring, also much employed for forcing. N. poeticus, the poet's narcissus, has white flowers, the crown, edged with pink, scarcely projecting from the throat. N. biflorus, with the scapes two-flowered and the crown forming a short cup, is the primrose peerless of the old gardeners. N. Polyanthus and N. Tazetta, with varieties, have the flowers numerous, and are called
polyanthus narcissus. N. odorus and others furnish oils or essences to the perfumer. For other species, seebell-flower , 2, daffodil, jonquil, butter-and-eggs, and hoop-petticoat. See also cuts underdaffodil and jonquil. - n. In heraldry, a flower composed of six petals, or a sort of hexafoil or architectural ornament of six lobes, used as a bearing.
Wiktionary
- n. Any of several bulbous flowering plants, of the genus Narcissus, having white or yellow cup- or trumpet-shaped flowers, notably the daffodil
- n. A beautiful young man, like the mythological Greek Narcissus
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. (Bot.) A genus of endogenous bulbous plants with handsome flowers, having a cup-shaped crown within the six-lobed perianth, and comprising the daffodils and jonquils of several kinds.
- n. (Classical Myth.) A beautiful youth fabled to have been enamored of his own image as seen in a fountain, and to have been changed into the flower called Narcissus.
WordNet 3.0
- n. (Greek mythology) a beautiful young man who fell in love with his own reflection
- n. bulbous plant having erect linear leaves and showy yellow or white flowers either solitary or in clusters
Etymologies
- Latin, from Ancient Greek ναρκίσσος (narkissos). (Wiktionary)
- Latin, from Greek narkissos (influenced by narkē, numbness, from its narcotic properties). (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“Do you mean that the narcissus is a relation of yours?" asked the tulip, still looking skyward.”
“The narcissus is the eye; the feeble stem of that plant bends languidly under its dower, and thus recalls to mind the languor of the eyes.”
“What a dear little girl," said the quiet poet's narcissus from the corner.”
“The narcissus are the promise of spring…we, yes we, in North Florida have a chance of SNOW at the end of the week…just depends on what the winds do……if so, you will hear a shriek of excitement all the way to Fairegardens!”
“But somehow -- I don't know how it is but when Anne and them are together, though she ain't half as handsome, she makes them look kind of common and overdone -- something like them white June lilies she calls narcissus alongside of the big, red peonies, that's what. ”
“And yes, you could totally wear it yourself - it's not really that sweet a perfume; like many Spring flowers such as narcissus, there is a greennness to the fragrance that sometimes even eclipses any sweetness they may have.”
“She would certainly have betrayed that this was not the kind of narcissus she wanted, but for the Fairy Melinette, who had been anxiously watching the interview, and now thought it quite time to interfere.”
“They may be considered in two classes: -- the forcing bulbs, such as narcissus and freesia, and those given natural conditions of growth in pots, such as amaryllis or callas.”
“Nothing has quite hung so deep in the narcissus pool of social media like Gaga's "Born this Way" -- it's a song built within the kingdom walls of Twitter and blogs, endlessly teased by the queen herself along with her prime jester, Perez Hilton.”
The Huffington Post: Marissa Moss: Twitter Killed the Radio Star: Lady Gaga's "Born This Way"
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘narcissus’.
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Interesting words
A list of words that are odd or words that I have looked up.
concupiscence, brize, scree, scoria, forestaff, spanaemia, valetudinarianism, distasture, pyrethrum, laudanum, gentian, bicameral and 11250 more...
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Flora
Flowers and plants have some of the most beautiful names.
These are often the common names, as opposed to the scientific or botanical names.daffodil, gardenia, tulip, snapdragon, violet, orchid, bleeding heart, daisy, lily, lilac, narcissus, rose and 278 more...
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Recently sniffed
Don't worry. I won't judge you.
(Inspired by bilby's comment on book sniffer.)orange peel, wet dog, coffee, earthworms, nail polish, liquid soap, horseradish, chocolate, microwave popcorn, empanadas, chimichurri, bike and 39 more...
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bywords
The height of fame, or infamy, is when your name becomes a byword for something. I'm not 100 percent sure about the technical name for this trope, but it seems to be antonomasia. Suggestions are mo...
einstein, romeo, casanova, lothario, sherlock holmes, shakespeare, tolstoy, rembrandt, leonardo, mozart, beethoven, howard hughes and 116 more...
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the first list
an immense, grandiloquent list that loads like a thousand years sentence in stone. new words are in the other lists.
ridiculous, brummagem, predicament, sanctimonious, vapid, eschew, admonish, auspicious, capitulation, enumerate, lachrymose, tenet and 1648 more...
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mager's Words
enigmatic, pragmatic, pulchritudinous, nincompoop, annihilation, sociality, entailment, acrosome, egalitarian, culture, technocracy, shenanigan and 541 more...
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the gardener and apothecary's
bryony, chamomile, frond, sweet bay, laurel, monkshood, henbane, hemlock, parsley, rosemary, thyme, lady's mantle and 140 more...
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je les adore!
fusillade, foal, celestial, abattoir, byzantium, berlin, casablanca, babylon, balkans, albion, avalon, between the devil... and 471 more...
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Favorite Words
quixotic, assonance, palindrome, plebeian, mezzanine, propinquity, etymology, antihero, intrepid, refractions, lawless, sesquipedalian and 237 more...
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Hampsteader's list
Just some words i like . . .
bilkirkegaard, frost, flaxen, snow, quoin, quern, westering, deer, antler, solstice, autumn, autumnal and 114 more...
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Ships
All of which are mentioned in O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin novels, someplace or other. Most are British navy ships, some are French navy, and others aren't either one.
See also the list Sh...franklin, surprise, agamemnon, vanguard, truelove, minerva, diane, victory, sophie, cacafuego, euryalus, alastor and 382 more...
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the name of the rose
pleasing words I encounter whilst reading umberto eco's novel of the same name.
matins, lauds, prime, terce, sext, nones, vespers, compline, usurper, simoniac, heresiarch, malefactor and 230 more...
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botany for amateurs
edelweiss, heartsease, cherry blossom, crocus, belladonna, hibiscus, baby's breath, snapdragon, black-eyed susan, clover, mulch, peat and 91 more...
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on gods and religions
hephaestion, olympian, zeus, hera, achilles, odysseus, iliad, homeric, narcissus, aphrodite, diana, apollo and 60 more...
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Bands that are words...
Those I like and those that are NOT phrases e.g. Air would count but Arcade Fire would not, even if I like both. Also specific groups of words are included such as Iron Maiden (a specific thing) vs...
air, iron maiden, kraftwerk, stereolab, pelican, isis, emperor, enslaved, beefcake, squarepusher, clutch, carcass and 34 more...
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Words Covered in Faery Dust (N)
words that evoke magic, mystery, mayhem, magnificence or anything else that glimmers in the grass
n'er do well, nana, narwhal, nasturtium, nativity, naught, nebulous, nectar, nest, nexus, nightfall, nightgown and 34 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for narcissus.
PossibleUnderscore I'm not sure...
Jul 28, 2009
bilby 's not on YouTube? Jul 28, 2009
PossibleUnderscore Too bad...it really was a sorry sight. Jul 28, 2009
bilby I wasn't there. Jul 28, 2009
PossibleUnderscore I thought that he gazed at his face in the reflection of a lake, and eventually fell in and drowned.
Jul 28, 2009
anydelirium A spring-blooming flower named for a character of greek mythology of the same name. He was obsessed with his own beauty, stared at a reflection of his face all day and all night. He wasted away and eventually died.
The nymph Echo was in love with him. Feb 17, 2008