Nerine, noun
/nəˈriːn/
- Forms:
- Also Narina, Nerina, and with small initial.
- Plurals:
- unchanged, or Nerines.
- Origin:
- Khoikhoi, LatinShow more Etymology dubious; either from Khoikhoi narina ‘flower’ (see Narina noun2), or from Latin Nerine the name of a Greek water-nymph (see quotation 1986).
Any of several bulbous flowering plants of the genus Nerine of the Amaryllidaceae, especially Nerine sarniensis, with umbels of bell-shaped pink, red, or white flowers; sore-eye flower sense c. Also attributive.
- Note:
- Called ‘Guernsey lily’ in British English since 1664; see quotations 1966 and 1972.
1820 Curtis’s Bot. Mag. 1787–1844 XLVII. 2124Rose-coloured Nerine...Nerine is probably confined to South Africa.
1992 S. Johnson in Afr. Wildlife Vol.46 No.4, 178Few flowers can compete with the beauty of..nerina (Nerine sarniensis).
Any of several bulbous flowering plants of the genus Nerine of the Amaryllidaceae, especially Nerine sarniensis, with umbels of bell-shaped pink, red, or white flowers; sore-eye flower sense c. Also attributive.
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