narcissus

noun

nar·cis·sus när-ˈsi-səs

capitalized : a beautiful youth in Greek mythology who pines away for love of his own reflection and is then turned into the narcissus flower

plural narcissi när-ˈsi-ˌsī

-(ˌ)sē

or narcissuses or narcissus : daffodil

especially : one whose flowers have a short corona and are usually borne separately

Examples of narcissus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Instead of blooming into narcissus flowers after drowning, for me roses sprouted from that death. —

Jim Ruland, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2024 On the west wall, a reclaimed bakery shelf holds ceramic pots and wooden bowls of snowdrop and narcissus bulbs. —

Aimee Farrell Emli Bendixen, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2023 Are both tulips and narcissus showing the same symptoms? —

oregonlive, 18 Mar. 2023 In the heart of this fragrance are white lily, marigold and narcissus. —

Dallas News, 30 Nov. 2022 See all Example Sentences for narcissus

Word History

Etymology

Latin, from Greek Nárkissos, probably so named after the flower; (sense 2) borrowed from New Latin, genus name, going back to Latin, "plant of the genus Narcissus," borrowed from Greek nárkissos, of pre-Greek substratal origin

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler

The first known use of narcissus was before the 12th century

See more words from the same century