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frit·il·lar·y

(frĭtl-ĕr′ē)

n. pl. frit·il·lar·ies

1. Any of various bulbous plants of the genus Fritillaria of the lily family, having nodding, variously colored, often spotted or checkered flowers.

2. Any of various nymphalid butterflies with wings that are orange or brown with black markings on the upper side and often with silver spots on the underside.

[New Latin Fritillāria, genus name, from Latin fritillus, dice-box, container for shaking dice (erroneously taken as meaning "checkerboard") : frit-, perhaps imitative of the sound of dice being shaken + -illus, n. suff.]

(click for a larger image)

fritillary

crown imperial fritillary

Fritillaria imperialis

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

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Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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