ivy

¹ American  

[ahy-vee] / ˈaɪ vi /

noun

PLURAL

ivies

1. Also called English ivy.  a climbing vine, Hedera helix, having smooth, shiny, evergreen leaves, small, yellowish flowers, and black berries, grown as an ornamental.

2. any of various other climbing or trailing plants.

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adjective

1. (often initial capital letter) Ivy League.

2. New England. mountain laurel.

Ivy ² American  

[ahy-vee] / ˈaɪ vi /

noun

1. a female given name.

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ivy British  

/ ˈaɪvɪ /

noun

1. any woody climbing or trailing araliaceous plant of the Old World genus Hedera, esp H. helix, having lobed evergreen leaves and black berry-like fruits

2. any of various other climbing or creeping plants, such as Boston ivy, poison ivy, and ground ivy

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Other Word Forms

• ivy-like adjective
• ivylike adjective

Etymology

Origin of ivy

before 900; Middle English ivi; Old English ifig; akin to German Efeu

Example Sentences

Yet amid the humor and the “will they won’t they” moments, life inside the academy is fraught, belying the idyllic surface of all that ivy and stately architecture.

From New York Times

It is one of very few things for which she would willingly tramp through poison ivy, she said.

From New York Times

Outside, the two-acre grounds add a winding landscaped driveway, a courtyard wrapped in ivy and backyard with two patios and a fire pit.

From Los Angeles Times

I drove through Seattle recently, and I saw ivy growing up one of the columns holding up this huge exit ramp.

From Seattle Times

On an outcropping of boulders near 75th Street, a blanket of green molded forms creeps over the expanse like ivy or moss.

From New York Times