Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

lily-white

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.94 in modern English

Syllables: lily-white
IPA

18

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

2

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

A shade of the color white.

adj

Pure, unblemished, immaculate.

adj

Innocent, having a reputation beyond reproach.

adj

Of the Caucasian race; white.

Derogatory; Slang

Example Sentences

"Not a pimple nor freckle marred her lily-white skin"
"Four for the Gospel makers, / Three, three, the rivals, / Two, two, the lily-white boys, Clothed all in green, O"
"The film was shot on location in Notting Hill, but observers noticed how its streets were suspiciously free of black people, and instead “wholly populated with mindless, twittering, wittering, lily-white rich”, as writer China Miéville put it."

Etymology

From Middle English liliwhite, lilye-white, lilye-whyt, equivalent to lily + white.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: liliwhite

Usage

Inflected Forms

more lily-white (comparative) most lily-white (superlative)

Synonyms

white

Questions

What does lily-white mean?: A shade of the color white.
Where does lily-white come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce lily-white

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