English Explanatory Dictionary

holly

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. Any of various shrubs or (mostly) small trees, of the genus Ilex, either evergreen or deciduous, used as decoration especially at Christmas.
  2. The wood from this tree.
  3. Any of several not closely related plant species likened to Ilex because of their prickly, evergreen foliage and/or round, bright-red berries
name
  1. A female given name from English.
  2. A topographic surname from Middle English.
  3. A male given name transferred from the surname.
  4. A place in the United States:
  5. A town in Prowers County, Colorado, named after cattleman Hiram S. Holly.
  6. A township and village therein, in Oakland County, Michigan.
  7. A township in Murray County, Minnesota, named after settler John Z. Holly.
  8. An unincorporated community in Houston County, Texas.
  9. An unincorporated community in Kitsap County, Washington, named for a large holly tree.
  10. An unincorporated community in Kanawha County, West Virginia.

Pronunciation

/ˈhɒli/ /ˈhɔlɪj/ /ˈhɑli/ en-us-holly.ogg /ˈhɔle/ /-lɪ/ /-li/

Word forms

holly hollies Hollie Hollee Holli Hollye Holley

Etymology

From Middle English holly, holi, holie, a shortened variation of holin, holyn (> English dialectal hollen, holm), from Old English holeġn, holen (“holly; prince, protector”), from Proto-West Germanic *hulis (“holly”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *kelh₂- (“to beat, break”). Cognates Cognate with Scots holin, hollin, holyn (“holly”), Dutch hulst (“holly”), German Hulst (“holly”), French houx ("holly" < Germanic), Danish hylver (“holly”), Welsh celyn (“holly”), Russian ко́лос (kólos, “ear of wheat”), Albanian kalli (“straw, chaff”), Latin culmus (“stalk, stem”), Sanskrit कटम्ब (kaṭamba, “arrow”), Old Church Slavonic класъ (klasŭ, “ear of grain”).

Derived words

American holly California holly Christmas holly common holly deciduous holly desert holly English holly European holly false holly hollied holly barberry holly bay holly berry holly-berry holly blue Hollybush Holly Hills holly laurel holly-leaf oak holly-leaved barberry holly-leaved cherry holly-leaved oak hollylike holly-lily Holly Oak holly olive holly osmanthus holly rose Holly Springs Hollywood Holywell inkberry holly knee holly Michigan holly mountain holly Mount Holly sea holly Singapore holly swamp holly winterberry holly
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