The Collaborative International Dictionary
Fleur-de-lis \Fleur`-de-lis`\, n.; pl. Fleurs-de-lis. [F., flower of the lily. Cf. Flower-de-luce, Lily.]
(Bot.) The iris. See Flower-de-luce.
A conventional flower suggested by the iris, and having a form which fits it for the terminal decoration of a scepter, the ornaments of a crown, etc. It is also a heraldic bearing, and is identified with the royal arms and adornments of France.
Wiktionary
n. (fleur-de-lis English)
WordNet
n. plants with sword-shaped leaves and erect stalks bearing bright-colored flowers composed of three petals and three drooping sepals [syn: iris, flag, sword lily]
(heraldry) charge consisting of a conventionalized representation of an iris [syn: fleur-de-lys]
[also: fleurs-de-lis (pl)]
See fleur-de-lis
Usage examples of "fleurs-de-lis".
His indigo robes with their subtle fleurs-de-lis had made his face seem pale when he’d arrived, but now ‘twas a flaming red above a dark blue sea.
On his head he wore a snug scarlet cap embroidered in gold and a fleurs-de-lis crown.
The ordonnance colors, quartered crosswise, violet and dead leaf, with a sprinkling of golden fleurs-de-lis, left the white-colored flag, with its fleurdelisee cross, to dominate over the whole.
The arms of Charlotte-Adélaide were a quartering of those of de Gex and de Crépy, and to make the arms of d’Ozoir, these had been recursively quartered with those of the House of de Lavardac d’Arcachon—themselves a quartering of something that included a lot of fleurs-de-lis, with an arrangement of black heads in iron collars, slashed with a bend sinister to indicate bastardy.
The blue hangings of the room, with their white fleurs-de-lis, were faded, like the rugs on the old dim floor.
A few novels and newspapers lay on the heavy table, a fire burned on the andirons, but the paper on the wall was very dark and the fleurs-de-lis were tarnished and dull.
And it was completely in character when they stopped beside a tall wrought-iron gate, spiky with fleurs-de-lis, so that the younger could remove a bottle from her weekend bag and pass it furtively to the other.