water lily: Meaning and Definition of

wa'ter lil"y

1. any of various aquatic plants of the genus Nymphaea, species of which have large, disklike, floating leaves and showy flowers, esp. N. odorata, of America, or N. alba, of Europe. Cf.
2. any related plant of the genus Nuphar.
3. a plant of the water lily family.
4. the flower of any such plant.