from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Gillyflower \Gil"ly*flow`er\, n. [OE. gilofre, gilofer, clove,
OF. girofre, girofle, F. girofle: cf. F. girofl['e]e
gillyflower, fr. girofle, Gr. ? clove tree; ? nut + ? leaf,
akin to E. foliage. Cf. {Caryophyllus}, {July-flower}.]
[Written also {gilliflower}.] (Bot.)
1. A name given by old writers to the clove pink ({Dianthus
Caryophyllus}) but now to the common stock ({Matthiola
incana}), a cruciferous plant with showy and fragrant
blossoms, usually purplish, but often pink or white.
[1913 Webster]
2. A kind of apple, of a roundish conical shape, purplish red
color, and having a large core.
{Clove gillyflower}, the clove pink.
{Marsh gillyflower}, the ragged robin ({Lychnis
Flos-cuculi}).
{Queen's gillyflower}, or {Winter gillyflower}, damewort.
{Sea gillyflower}, the thrift ({Armeria vulgaris}).
{Wall gillyflower}, the wallflower ({Cheiranthus Cheiri}).
{Water gillyflower}, the water violet.
[1913 Webster]