Asphodel
/ˈæs.fə.dɛl/noun
A perennial flowering plant with lily-like blossoms, especially associated in classical literature with the underworld.
Did you know?In Homer and later Greek poetry, the asphodel meadow became a haunting image of the afterlife, so this ordinary-looking flower was once a symbol of the dead’s resting place.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
ἀσφόδελος (asphodelos)
“A kind of lily-like plant, especially one linked in poetry with the dead and the underworld”
Classical Latin
Latin
asphodelus
“Asphodel, the same flower borrowed from Greek”
Late Latin / Medieval Latin
Latin
asphodelus
“The plant name in learned botanical use”
Middle English
English
asfodel / asphodell
“A herbaceous flowering plant known from learned and poetic texts”
Modern English
English
asphodel
“A perennial plant of the genus Asphodelus, with showy flowers”