asphodel means A former township in Peterborough County, Ontario, Canada, merged into Asphodel-Norwood township in 1998. It carries an Arena rating of 1683, earned across 2 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, asphodel ranks #342 of 17,104 for Most Storied Words, #919 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words, #1,581 of 17,126 for Most Satisfying to Say, #2,409 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words.
asphodel is pronounced /ˈæsfədɛl/.
Why “asphodel” is a great word
A flowering plant of the lily family, especially of the genus Asphodelus, or in Greek mythology, the flower said to carpet the underworld. From Latin asphodelus, from Ancient Greek ἀσφόδελος (asphódelos), of unknown origin; first attested in English in the late 14th century. Unlike the cheerful, specific daffodil of spring gardens or the pure, life-affirming lily of ceremonies, the asphodel is a flower of memory and shade. It is the grey-green haze on a barren hillside, the simple fare offered to the dead, and the only color in the muted kingdom of Hades—a beauty that does not console, but merely endures, carpeting the ground we walk when we dream of those we have lost.
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Latin asphodelus, from Ancient Greek ἀσφόδελος (asphódelos). Doublet of daffodil.
name
- A former township in Peterborough County, Ontario, Canada, merged into Asphodel-Norwood township in 1998.
noun
- Any of the flowering plants of the family Asphodelaceae, especially Asphodelus ramosus and Asphodelus albus; the flower of these plants.
- The flower said to carpet Hades, and a favorite food of the dead.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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