Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A nymph who metamorphosed into a laurel tree as a means of escaping from Apollo.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • proper noun A taxonomic genus within the family Thymelaeaceae — the daphnes, Old World shrubs with scented flowers and poisonous berries.
  • proper noun Greek mythology A dryad pursued by Apollo, who was turned into a laurel tree by the river god Peneus.
  • proper noun A female given name.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Ancient Greek δάφνη (daphnē, "laurel”, “bay").

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