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The Collaborative International Dictionary
Fritillary

Fritillary \Frit"il*la*ry\, n.

  1. (Bot.) A plant with checkered petals, of the genus Fritillaria: the Guinea-hen flower. See Fritillaria.

  2. (Zo["o]l.) One of several species of butterflies belonging to Argynnis and allied genera; -- so called because the coloring of their wings resembles that of the common Fritillaria. See Aphrodite.

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
fritillary

popular name of a type of British butterfly, 1857, earlier a type of plant (Fritillaria Meleagris, 1633), from Latin fritillus "dice-box," from fritinnire said to be imitative of the rattle of dice. The plant so called in allusion to the shape of its perianth. The butterfly so called perhaps from resemblance of its markings to those of dice or a chessboard (perhaps on the confused notion that fritillus meant "chessboard").

Wiktionary
fritillary

n. 1 Any of several bulbous perennial plants, of the genus ''(l mul Fritillaria)'', having flowers with a spotted or chequered pattern. 2 Any of several butterflies, of the family ''(l mul Nymphalidae)'', having wings with black or silvery spots.

WordNet
fritillary
  1. n. any liliaceous plant of the genus Fritillaria having nodding variously colored flowers [syn: checkered lily]

  2. butterfly with brownish wings marked with black and silver

Wikipedia
Fritillary (disambiguation)

A fritillary is a bulbous plant of the genus Fritillaria, with bell-shaped flowers, native to the Northern Hemisphere.

Fritillary may also refer to several genera of butterflies:

  • Argynnis
  • Boloria
  • Melitaeini
  • Speyeria, the greater fritillaries

Usage examples of "fritillary".

She opens it and almost immediately identifies the leopard-spotted butterfly as a Gulf Fritillary, but then forgets to look up the elegant black one with blue borders.