holly
pronunciation
How to pronounce holly in British English:
UK [ˈhɒli]
How to pronounce holly in American English:
US [ˈhɑli]
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- Noun:
- any tree or shrub of the genus Ilex having red berries and shiny evergreen leaves with prickly edges
Word Origin
- holly (n.)
- mid-15c., earlier holin (mid-12c.), shortening of Old English holegn "holly," from Proto-Germanic *hulin- (cognates: Old Saxon, Old High German hulis, Old Norse hulfr, Middle Dutch huls, Dutch, German hulst "holly"), cognate with Middle Irish cuilenn, Welsh celyn, Gaelic cuilionn "holly," probably all from PIE root *kel- (5) "to prick" (cognates: Old Church Slavonic kolja "to prick," Russian kolos "ear of corn"), in reference to its leaves. French houx "holly" is from Frankish *huls or some other Germanic source.
Example
- 1. Holly plants bear fruit-red berries-in the dark days of winter , which amazed ancient cultures .
- 2. Sophie conran , scion of the design dynasty , uses holly and ivy with berries , eucalyptus and pine cones to decorate her home .
- 3. For early christians , it was appropriate to have both colors in the holly wreath .
- 4. Holly , on the other hand , does contain all three chemicals , and the ratio of caffeine to theobromine in the beverage residues matches the ratio in black drink .
- 5. Though holly isn 't native to the area , it may have arrived in cahokia through an extensive trade network , the researchers believe .