fritillaria

noun

frit·​il·​lar·​ia ˌfri-tə-ˈler-ē-ə How to pronounce fritillaria (audio)
-ˈla-rē-
: any of a widespread genus (Fritillaria) of bulbous herbs of the lily family with variably colored and often mottled or checkered flowers

Illustration of fritillaria

Illustration of fritillaria

Examples of fritillaria in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Plant fritillaria bulbs in the fall for blooms the following year. — Arricca Elin Sansone, House Beautiful, 26 July 2023 Large growing fritillaria are also great for adding fragrance to the garden. — Chris McKeown, Cincinnati Enquirer, 11 Oct. 2025 From classic tulips and daffodils to exotic-looking fritillaria, there are hundreds of bulbs to choose from. — Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 24 Aug. 2025 Chezar used pale pink peonies, coral tulips and lilacs—and then add texture and height with sprays of green hellebore and purple fritillaria meleagris. — ELLE Decor, 3 May 2016 Branch out a bit, Stoven advises, and try brodiaea, hyacinths, fritillaria, dwarf iris or other bulbs. — Kym Pokorny, OregonLive.com, 18 Oct. 2017 The flowers are endangered, and Nate can’t resume production until the city can determine how to remove the fritillarias without harming them. — Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Latin fritillus dice cup; from the markings of the petals

First Known Use

1664, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fritillaria was in 1664

Rhymes for fritillaria

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Browse Nearby Words

frithstool
fritillaria
fritillary
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Cite this Entry

“Fritillaria.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fritillaria. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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