bluebell

[ bloo-bel ]

noun

1. any of numerous plants of the bellflower family, having blue, bell-shaped flowers, as a bellflower or harebell.
2. Also called wood hyacinth. an Old World plant, Endymion non-scriptus, of the lily family, having blue, bell-shaped flowers.
3. any of various other plants having blue flowers, as those of the genus Mertensia.

bluebell

/ ˈbluːˌbɛl /

noun

1. Also calledwild hyacinthwood hyacinth a European liliaceous woodland plant, Hyacinthoides (or Endymion ) non-scripta , having a one-sided cluster of blue bell-shaped flowers
2. Also calledSpanish bluebell a similar and related plant, hispanica , widely grown in gardens and becoming naturalized
3. a Scot name for harebell
4. any of various other plants with blue bell-shaped flowers

Other Words From

• bluebelled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of bluebell¹

First recorded in 1570–80; blue + bell ¹

Example Sentences

They include creosote bush, desert lavender, apricot mallow, desert bluebells, milkweed and more.

From Los Angeles Times

Ludmila shows me purple crocuses and bluebells in neat rows and the green shoots of daffodils.

From BBC

The statue and a memorial were defaced this month at Croome, a 700-acre property that is home to a mansion and two castles as well as violets, tulips and bluebells.

From New York Times

For years, the annual show of an endless carpet of bluebells spreading under the fresh foliage of the beech trees was largely a local treat for the few in the know.

From Seattle Times

He found that several species — yarrow, tall bluebells, and arnica — tended to thrive in them.

From Salon