fleur-de-lis. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

fleur-de-lis


PRONUNCIATION:	flûrd-l, flr-
VARIANT FORMS:	or fleur-de-lys
NOUN:	Inflected forms: pl. fleurs-de-lis or fleurs-de-lys (flûrd-lz, flr-) 1. An iris, especially a white-flowered form of Iris germanica. 2. Heraldry A device consisting of a stylized three-petaled iris flower, used as the armorial emblem of the kings of France.
ETYMOLOGY:	Middle English flour de lice, from Old French flor de lis : flor, flower + de, of + lis, lily.


The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.