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daffodil

Etymology and origin of the English word daffodil

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From
Latin affodillus

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈdæfəˌdɪl/[1]

Etymology

It is a variant of obsolete affodill,[2][3][4][5] from Medieval Latin affodillus,[3][4] from Latin asphodelus,[2][3][4][5] from Ancient Greek ἀσφόδελος (asphódelos, “asphodel”),[3][4][5] of unknown origin.[3][4] The initial d- is unexplained;[3][5] it may come from Dutch de affodil “the asphodel”, the Netherlands being a source of bulbs.[6][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The asphodel (1538).[7][4] Merriam-Webster and Barnhart date the word to 1548.[6][3]

Semantic evolution

The name was transferred from the asphodel to plants of the genus Narcissus (1548),[7] and then narrowed to the wild yellow Narcissus pseudonarcissus, also called the Lent lily (1562).[7][4] The word has many fanciful variants, such as daffadowndilly.[4] From the flower it also names a pale or brilliant yellow (1855).[7][2]

Timeline

  • c1400 – affodill, the asphodel.[4]
  • 1538 – daffodil, the asphodel.[7]
  • 1548 – the genus Narcissus.[7][6][3]
  • 1562 – the yellow Narcissus pseudonarcissus.[7]
  • 1855 – a pale yellow colour.[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A bulbous plant, Narcissus pseudonarcissus, with showy yellow flowers that have a trumpet-shaped central crown; also its flower.
  2. Any plant of the genus Narcissus.
  3. A brilliant or clear yellow.
  • asphodel
  • narcissus
  • jonquil

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  6. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Daffodil.” Etymologically, 15 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/daffodil. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·