ilex

¹ American  

[ahy-leks] / ˈaɪ lɛks /

noun

1. holm oak.

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ilex ² American  

[ahy-leks] / ˈaɪ lɛks /

noun

1. any tree or shrub of the genus Ilex.

2. a holly.

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ilex British  

/ ˈaɪlɛks /

noun

1. any of various trees or shrubs of the widely distributed genus Ilex, such as the holly and inkberry: family Aquifoliaceae

2. another name for the holm oak

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Etymology

Origin of ilex¹

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin

Origin of ilex²

1555–65; < New Latin, Latin īlex ilex ¹

Example Sentences

Beyond, the path was the same—empty in the darkening moonlight and leading gently downhill into the deep shadow of a grove of ilex trees.

From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams

Dandelion overtook him and the two disappeared among the ilex trees.

From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams

The temple of Demeter, closely resembling the Pantheon, was surrounded by a grove of ilex trees.

From The Woman Who Vowed The Demetrian by Harding, Ellison

To the left a mass of dark foliage, ilex and cypress, in the shadow of which more tables and chairs are set.

From Mortal Coils by Huxley, Aldous

We could almost have walked to Ariccia, it is so near, and such a lovely road, all ilex trees and great rocks, winding along the side of the hill.

From Italian Letters of a Diplomat's Life January-May, 1880; February-April, 1904 by Waddington, Mary Alsop King