lilac-rust 
lilac-rust (li'lak-rust), n. Same as lilac-mildew. 
lilacthroat (li'lak-throt), n. A humming-bird 
of the genus Phteoliema. 
lilburnt, n. [Origin obscure; perhaps < lilc, 
eontr. of little, + ME. burn, berne, etc., a man: 
see 6r 2 .] A heavy, stupid fellow. Halliwell. 
Ye are such a calfe, such an asse, such a blocke, 
Such a lilbume, such a he-ball, such a lobcocke. 
Udall, Koister Bolster, HI. 3. 
lile, a. A dialectal contraction of little. Com- 
pare HIP. 
Liliaceae (lil-i-a'se-e), . pi. [NL. (S. End- 
licher), < L. Lilium, q. v., + -amc.] An order 
of monocotyledonous plants, characterized by 
the regular symmetrical and almost always hex- 
androus flowers, with a non-glumaceous peri- 
anth which is free from the generally three- 
celled ovary. There are, with one exception, six sta- 
mens, one before each division of the perianth. The fruit 
is a pod or berry containing from few to many seeds hav- 
ing a small embryo in copious albumen. It is a large order 
dispersed widely round the world, and containing about 
2,300 species of herbs, shrubs, and trees. Many genera, 
as Lilium, Tulipa, Hyacinthm, furnish beautiful garden- 
flowers ; some, as Allium, yield esculent bulbs; a few, as 
Aloe, supply important medicines ; and Phormium and a 
few others yield a textile fiber. 
liliaceous (lil-i-a'shius), a. [< LL. liliaceus, of 
or belonging to a lily, < L. lilium, a lily: see 
lily.'] Pertaining to or characteristic of lilies, 
or plants of the order HUacece; lily-like. 
liliet, An obsolete spelling of lily. 
lilied (lil'id), a. [< lily + -ecR] 1. Abounding 
in or embellished with lilies. 
By sandy Ladon's lilied banks. 
Milton, Arcades, L 97. 
2. Resembling lilies, especially in color. 
She was the fairest of all the lilied brood. 
J. Wilton, Lights and Shadows of Scottish Life, p. 6. 
Shrinking Caryatides 
Of just-tinged marble, like Eve's lilied Hesh 
Beneath her Maker's finger. Browning, Sordello. 
liliform (lil'i-form), a. [< L. lilium, lily, + 
forma, form.] Having the general form of a 
lily-flower. [Rare.] 
liliformed (lil'i-formd), a. [< liliform + -ecP.] 
Same as liliform. 
Paterae of glazed ware with broad flattened rims of tas- 
selled or liliformed patterns found at Canterbury. 
Jour. Brit. Archceol. Ass., XII. 73. 
Lilium (lil'i-um), n. [NL. (Linnreus), < L. lilium, 
a lily: see lily.'] A genus of plants of the order 
LiUacece, belonging to the tribe Tulipece, distin- 
guished from the related genera by the versa- 
tile anthers. The flowers are either erect or nodding, 
and have as a rule a funnel-shaped perianth of six seg- 
ments, with six stamens and a three-lobed stigma. There 
are about 45 species, found in the northern temperate re- 
gions of the world. They all have scaly bulbs, some of 
which are edible, as those of L. Martagon, eaten by the 
Cossacks, and those of L. tigrinum (the tiger-lily) and 
others in China and Japan. Their chief value, however, 
lies in the beauty of their flowers. For the species, see 
lily. 
lillH 
of loU._ 
Dreadfull Cerberus 
His three deformed heads did lay along, . . . 
And litted forth his bloody flaming tong. 
Spenser, F. Q., I. v. 34. 
lill 2 (HI), n. [Origin obscure.] 1. One of the 
holes of a wind-instrument. [Scotch.] 2. A 
small pin. Draper's Dictionary. 
lill 3 , 111 (lil), a. A dialectal contraction of little. 
Also lile. [Southern U. S. ; in negro use.] 
Lille lace. See lace. . 
Lillibullero, Lilliburlero (liFi-bu-le'ro. -ber- 
le'ro), n. Originally, it is said, a watchword 
of the Irish Roman Catholics in their massacre 
of the Protestants in 1641; afterward, the name 
of a song burlesquing the former, said to have 
been written by Lord Wharton, which was ex- 
tremely popular in England during and after 
the revolution of 1688, having the refrain ' ' Lero, 
lero, lilli burlero," etc. 
Lilliputian (lil-i-pu'shan), a. and n. [< Lilliput 
(see def. ) + -to.] I. a. I. Pertaining to Lilli- 
put, an imaginary kingdom described in Swift's 
"Travels of Lemuel Gulliver," or to its people, 
feigned to be pygmies about six inches high. 
Hence 2. Of minute size. 
II. n. 1. An inhabitant of the imaginary 
kingdom of Lilliput. 2. A person of diminu- 
tive size; a very small dwarf. 
lillypilly (lil'i-pil-i), n. [Australian.] A tree 
of the myrtle family, Eugenia Smithii (Acmena 
floribunda), found in Australia. It is a slender but 
sometimes tall tree, with terminal panicles of abundant 
white flowers, and a very hard and heavy wood Also 
called Australian myrtle. 
lilt (lilt), v. [< ME. lillen, lultcn; origin ob- 
scure.] I. trans. If. To sound. 
3454 
Loude alarom vpon launde lulted was thenne. 
Alliteratiee Poems (ed. Morris), ii. 1207. 
2. To sing or play in snatches, and with easy, 
tripping grace, as a song or a tune ; utter or 
pour forth with sprightliness, animation, or 
gaiety. 
Our Jenny sings saftly the " Cowden Broom knowes," 
And Kosie lilts swiftly the "Milking the ewes." 
Ramsay, Gentle Shepherd, ii. 4. 
The Muse shall . . . 
Such enchantment Kit to thee 
That thon shalt hear the life-blood flow 
From farthest stars to grass-blades low. 
Lou-ell, To the Muse. 
II. intrans. 1. To sing or play a tune in 
a sprightly, tripping manner; utter musical 
sounds flowingly and cheerfully. 
Lasses a' lilting before the break of day. 
Jane Elliot, Flowers of the Forest. 
Mak' haste an turn king David owre, 
An' lilt wi' holy clangor. 
Burns, The Ordination. 
2. To do anything with dexterity or quickness ; 
spring; hop. [Rare.] 
Whether the bird flit here or there, 
O'er table lilt, or perch on chair. 
Wordsworth, The Redbreast. 
lilt (lilt), . [< lilt, v.~] 1. A snatch of a 
cheerful, lively song; a short, smooth-flowing, 
tripping air or tune. 
The blythest lilts that e'er my lugs heard sung. 
Ramsay, Poems, II. 390. 
Hence 2. Cadence; rhythmic swing or flow. 
This faculty of hitting on the precise lUt of thought and 
measure that shall catch the universal ear and sing them- 
selves in everybody's memory is a rare gift. 
Lowell, Study Windows, p. 836. 
The lilt and melody of Shelley, joined to precision of 
thought and outline. Stedman, Poets of America, p. 166. 
lilting (lil'ting), a. [< ME. liltyng; ppr. of 
lilt, v.~\ Played or sung in an animated man- 
ner; giving lively utterance to a lilt or song. 
Many a flowte and liltyng home, 
And pipes made of greene come. 
Chaucer, House of Fame, 1. 1223. 
lily (lil'i), . and a. [Formerly also lilly, lillic; 
< ME. lilie, < AS. lilie, liligc = OS. lilli = D. lelie 
= OHG. lilja, MHG. litje (also gilge), G. lilie = 
Icel. lilja = Dan. lilie = 8w. lilja = F. lis = 
OSp. lilio, Sp. Pg. lirio (Sp. also lis, < F.) = It. 
giglio (> Croatian zhilj) = Pol. liltfa, lelia = 
Serv. Ijiljan = Russ. liliya = Hung, liliom, < L. 
lim 
red flowers and bulblets in the axils of the upper leaves, 
a plant of the region of the Alps, long known to garden- 
ers ; and the white or Madonna lily, L. canditlwn, also 
called annunciation lily, found wild in the northern Medi- 
terranean countries. Among the fine Asiatic lilies are the 
lance-leafed or spear-leafed lily, L. specioKum (lanci/olium), 
from Corea and Japan, with white flowers more or less 
suffused or spotted with pink, and \vith the lower part of 
the sepals covered with papilla; ; the giant lily, L. giyan- 
teum, the largest of the genus, from the Himalayan re- 
gion ; and the tiger-lily, L. tiyrinum, so called from its 
spots, a plant introduced from China and known every- 
where. There are many other less-known lilies. 
Softur then watur or eny licour, 
Or dewz that lith on the lilie flour, 
Was Cristes bodi in blod colour. 
Holy Rood (E. E. T. S.), p. 139. 
Lay her in lillies and in violets. 
Spenser, Epithalamion, 1. 302. 
2. Any one of many plants resembling the lily. 
3. The end of a compass which points to the 
north: so called from being frequently orna- 
mented with a lily or fleur-de-lis. 
If we place a needle touched at the foot of tongs or and- 
irons, it will obvert or turn aside its lillie or north point, 
and conform its cuspis or south extream with the andiron. 
Sir T. Browne, Vulg. Err., ii. 2. 
African lily, a plant of the genus Agapanthus. Ata- 
masco lily, Zeiihyrantlws Atamasco. See Zephyranthes, 
and also Amaryllis. Belladonna lily. See Amaryllis. 
Blackberry Illy, Selamcanda (Pardanthus) Chinensis, of 
the iris family. Calla Illy. See calla, 3. Day-lily. See 
Hemerocattis. Fleur-de-lis of three lilies. Sec fleur- 
de-lis. Florentine Illy. See giglio. Jacobeea Illy, 
Sprekelia formosissima. Knight's-star lily. See Hip- 
peastrum. Lent-lily, the daffodil. Lilies of France, 
the fleurs-de-lis which constitute the distinctive armorial 
bearing of the ancient royal family of France, and figured 
on the French royal standard. 
But Magua is pledged not to sully the lilies of France. 
Cooper, Last of Mohicans, xvii. 
Lily Of the flag, in her., a fleur-de-lis, as borne in the 
arms of France. Mexican lily, Amaryllis reyinae, a plant 
with beautiful scarlet flowers. Pond-Illy, the spatter- 
dock, genus Nuphar (Nymphcea) ; also, the common spe- 
cies of Nymphcea (Castalia). Water-lily, most often 
ffymphtfa (Castalia). See water-lily. Yellow Illy, the 
gold-lily. See def. 1, above. 
II. a. Resembling a white lily, especially in 
purity; pure; unsullied. 
By Cupid's dove, 
And so thou shalt ! and by the lily truth 
Of my own breast, thou shalt, beloved youth 1 
E eats, Endymion, iv. 
Elaine, the lily maid of Astolat, 
High in her chamber up a tower to the east 
Guarded the sacred shield of Lancelot 
Tennyson, Lancelot and Elaine. 
lilium = Serv. lir, Iyer, < Gr. Aeipiov, a lily.] I. lily-beetle (liri-be'tl), n. A beetle, Crioceris 
n.; pi. lilies (-iz). 1. A plant of the genus merdigera. 
Lilium, or its flower. In the four native species of lily-encrinite(lil'i-en"kri-nit),. Sameasstowe- 
the eastern United States the perianth is colored from 
(lil), v. i. and t. [Early mod. E. lylle; a var. 
H.] To loll. 
lily. See encrinite. 
lily-faced (lil'i-fast), a. 
modest or sensitive. 
Pale-faced; affectedly 
Like a squeamish dame, 
Shrink and look lily-faced. J. Baillie. 
lily-handed (lil'i-han"ded), a. Having white, 
delicate hands; hence, effeminate. 
No little lily-handed Baronet he, 
A great broad-shoulder'd genial Englishman. 
Tennyson, Princess, Conclusion. 
lily-hyacinth (lil'i-hFa-sinth), . A bulbous 
perennial plant with blue flowers, Scilla Lilio- 
liyacintlius. 
lily-iron (liri-I"ern), n. In whaling, the detach- 
able barbed head of a harpoon. There are two 
barbs, and between them, a little to one side and at an 
angle with the axis of the head, is fixed the harpoon-shank, 
which carries the line. The harpoon, owing to this pecu- 
liarity of form, penetrates the whale's body in a curved 
course, and thus secures a firm hold. 
lilyliver (liri-liv"er), . A white-livered per- 
son ; a coward. 
I always knew that I was a lilyliver. 
Thackeray, Roundabout Papers, xii. 
lily-livered (lil'i-liv"erd), a. White-livered; 
cowardly. 
Uo, prick thy face, and over-red thy fear, 
Thou Itiy-liver'd boy. Shale., Macbeth, v. 3. 17. 
See 
Lily (Lilium superbum). 
i. Upper part of the plant with flowers, a. Lower part of the plant lily-Of-the-Valley (lil'i-OV-the-Val'i), n. 
with bulbs, a, stamen ; *, pistil ; c, fruit. 
yellow to scarlet, with purple or brown spots on the in- lily-pad (lil'i-pad), . 
side. They are : the wild orange-red lily, L. Philadelphi- 
cum, with flowers erect and sepals not recurved, common 
in sandy soil ; the Southern red lily, L. Catesba-i with soli- 
tary erect flowers and recurved sepals ; L. Canadense, 
with several nodding flowers and the sepals recurved, 
common in the north ; and the American Turk's-cap or 
~* *" " ' lily-Star (lil'i-star), n. Sai 
grounds at the north. Among the'eight species"of "the lily-white (lil'i-hwit), a. [< ME. liliichite, lilie- 
Pacific Aslope are the Washington lily, L. Washingtonia- wnyt;<. lily + U'hite.'] White as a lily. [Poeti- 
Lord Ronald brought a lily-irhite doe 
To give his cousin, Lady Clare. 
Tennyson, Lady Clare. 
Aii obsolete but historically more cor- 
pelliug of limb 1 . 
Convallaria. 
The broad leaf of a 
water-lily, especially as it lies upon the water 
in its place of growth. [TT. S.] 
A deer had been down to eat the lily-pads at the foot of 
the lake the night before. 
, .. C. D. Warner, Backlog Studies, p. 145. 
swamp-lily, L. superinim, with a pyramidal panicle, often lilv-Qtar 
with 20 or sometimes even 40 blossoms, found on low fig ?? 
, . - 
num, often with as many as 20 large and fragrant white cal.] 
flowers, becoming purplish, in a thyrsoid raceme ; the pan- 
ther-lily, L. pardalinum; and Humboldt's lily, L. Hum. 
DOMtii. Among European species are the Martagon lily 
L. Martagon, found wild in Europe and In Siberia, and ,. 
cultivated from time immemorial, the varieties differing Unit, 
in color ; the bulb-bearing lily, L. biillnferum, with orange- rect sp 
