asphodel
|as-phod-el|
🇺🇸
/ˈæs.fə.dɛl/
🇬🇧
/ˈæs.fə.dəl/
flower associated with the afterlife
Etymology
'asphodel' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'asphodelos' (ἀσφόδελος), where the element referred to a type of liliaceous plant.
'asphodel' passed into Latin as 'asphodelus' and into Medieval/Modern Latin and Old French forms before appearing in Middle English as 'asphodel' and becoming the modern English 'asphodel'.
Initially, it referred simply to the plant 'asphodelus'; over time it also acquired strong literary and mythological associations with the afterlife ('fields of asphodel').
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a perennial plant of the genus Asphodelus (family Asphodelaceae), typically with grasslike leaves and spikes of white or yellow star-shaped flowers.
The garden bed was planted with asphodel to give late-summer color.
Synonyms
Noun 2
in Greek mythology and later literature, the asphodel (or the 'fields of asphodel') refers to meadows of the dead — a place in the afterlife associated with ordinary souls.
The poem described the heroes wandering the fields of asphodel after death.
Synonyms
Idioms
Last updated: 2025/10/31 11:37