mariposa

British

/ ˌmærɪˈpəʊzə, -sə /

noun

Also called: mariposa lily. mariposa tulip. any of several liliaceous plants of the genus Calochortus, of the southwestern US and Mexico, having brightly coloured tulip-like flowers

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of mariposa

C19: from Spanish: butterfly; from the likeness of the blooms to butterflies

Vocabulary lists containing mariposa

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Numerous trails and parks in the Santa Monica Mountains have wildflower clusters right now, particularly California and fire poppies, lupines and mariposa lilies.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 17, 2026

Dripping with attitude, the song is about the Spaniard's refusal to conform to: "Una mariposa, yo me transformo," she sings.

From BBC • Dec. 30, 2022

Two endangered lilies — Green’s mariposa and Gentner’s fritillary — bloom purple and red each spring.

From New York Times • Dec. 6, 2017

Waist-high violet lupines, delicate mariposa lilies and knee-high shooting stars left us no room to walk.

From Washington Post

Cecilia, looking like a vibrant mariposa in a purple tunic, her hair blossoming with sprigs of lavender, was fluttering about the kitchen looking confused and agitated.

From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023