Gillyflower,
n. [OE.
gilofre,
gilofer, clove, OF.
girofre,
girofle, F.
girofle: cf. F.
giroflée gillyflower, fr.
girofle, Gr. clove tree; nut + leaf, akin to E.
foliage. Cf.
Caryophyllus,
July-flower.].
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A name given by old writers to the clove pink (Dianthus Caryophyllus) but now to the common stock (Matthiola incana), a cruciferous plant with showy and fragrant blossoms, usually purplish, but often pink or white. [1913 Webster]
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A kind of apple, of a roundish conical shape, purplish red color, and having a large core.
Clove gillyflower, the clove pink. -- Marsh gillyflower, the ragged robin (Lychnis Flos-cuculi). -- Queen's gillyflower, or Winter gillyflower, damewort. -- Sea gillyflower, the thrift (Armeria vulgaris). -- Wall gillyflower, the wallflower (Cheiranthus Cheiri). -- Water gillyflower, the water violet.