gladiola
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Related to gladiola: gladiolus
glad·i·o·lus
(glăd′ē-ō′ləs)n. pl. glad·i·o·li (-lī, -lē) or glad·i·o·lus·es
1. also glad·i·o·la (-lə) Botany Any of numerous plants of the genus Gladiolus, native chiefly to tropical and southern Africa and having sword-shaped leaves and showy, variously colored, irregular flowers arranged in one-sided spikes. Also called sword lily.
2. Anatomy The large middle section of the sternum.
[Middle English gladiol, from Latin gladiolus, wild iris, diminutive of gladius, sword; see gladiator.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
glad•i•o•lus
(ˌglæd iˈoʊ ləs)n., pl. -lus, -li (-lī), -lus•es for 1; -li for 2.
1. any plant of the genus Gladiolus, of the iris family, native esp. to Africa, having erect, sword-shaped leaves and spikes of flowers in a variety of colors.
2. the middle segment of the sternum.
[1560–70; < Latin: small sword, sword lily =gladi(us) sword + -olus -ole1]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Noun | 1. | gladiola - any of numerous plants of the genus Gladiolus native chiefly to tropical and South Africa having sword-shaped leaves and one-sided spikes of brightly colored funnel-shaped flowers; widely cultivated iridaceous plant - any bulbous plant of the family Iridaceae genus Gladiolus - gladiolas |
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