Daffodilly

/ˌdæf.ə.ˈdɪl.i/ noun

Definition

A yellow spring flower with a trumpet-shaped center, a variant spelling of daffodil.

Etymology

An older or dialectal variant of 'daffodil', from Dutch 'de affodil'. The '-y' ending was common in Early Modern English for plant names, especially in poetic or countryside speech.

Kelly Says

This whimsical spelling is mostly obsolete now, but it survived long enough in poetry and children's literature that we can still see why Shakespeare's contemporaries loved calling it 'daffodilly' instead of the plainer 'daffodil.'

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.