asphodel

[ as-fuh-del ]

noun

1. any of various southern European plants of the genera Asphodelus and Asphodeline, of the lily family, having white, pink, or yellow flowers in elongated clusters.
2. any of various other plants, as the daffodil.

asphodel

/ ˈæsfəˌdɛl /

noun

1. any of various S European liliaceous plants of the genera Asphodelus and Asphodeline, having clusters of white or yellow flowers Compare bog asphodel
2. any of various other plants, such as the daffodil
3. an unidentified flower of Greek legend, probably a narcissus, said to cover the Elysian fields

Word History and Origins

Origin of asphodel¹

1590–1600; < Latin asphodelus < Greek asphódelos the asphodel. See daffodil

Word History and Origins

Origin of asphodel¹

C16: from Latin asphodelus, from Greek asphodelos, of obscure origin

Example Sentences

Eight people sit around the table at Asphodel House — one home in a network maintained by A Sacred Passing, a local nonprofit that, among other programs, offers people a place to die outside a medical setting, often at no cost.

From Seattle Times

Last month’s event, Wakayama says, was almost all older people — one of them terminally ill and considering Asphodel House as their last stop.

From Seattle Times

The council’s education officer, Paula Farrell, stood on a wooden walkway built over the bog’s surface and pointed out the signs of a healthy, living peatland — bright tufts of yellow bog asphodel, the purple flowers of cross-leaved heath, tufts of white bog cotton.

From New York Times

“You are not a god, or you would understand. Death is so short, so...unsatisfying. Your puny mortal souls flit off to the Underworld, and what happens then? The best I can hope for is that you go to the Fields of Punishment or Asphodel, but you demigods are insufferably noble. More likely you will go to Elysium—or get reborn in a new life. Why would I want to reward your friends that way? Why...when I can punish them eternally?”

From Literature

She found herself back in the Fields of Asphodel, drifting aimlessly among the ghosts.

From Literature