lile
/ˈl̠ʲilʲə/feminine
The Irish word for lily is lile.
lile is a noun used to refer to a flower belonging to the genus Lilium.
Meaning: flower in the genus Lilium (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
lile is a feminine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈl̠ʲilʲə/
Did you know?
- The term lile can be traced back through Coptic and Demotic Egyptian to the Ancient Egyptian word ḥrrt, meaning 'flower'.
- In Irish folklore, certain white flowers like the lile are sometimes associated with the 'Sídhe' or the fairy folk.
- The pronunciation of lile features a slender 'l' sound, which requires the tongue to be placed differently than for a standard English 'l'.
Examples in context
- Is maith liom an lile.I like the lily.
Example conversation
Aoife and Oisín are looking at a bouquet of flowers.
- AoifeBa mhaith liom an lile seo.I would like this lily.
- OisínTá sí go hálainn, a Aoife.It is beautiful, Aoife.
- AoifeIs í an lile an bláth is fearr liom.The lily is my favorite flower.
- OisínCheanaim í duit, a Aoife.I will buy it for you, Aoife.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “lily” translations and entries lile, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries lile, CC BY-SA 4.0.
