Definitions

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

  • noun A calla lily.
  • noun A marsh plant (Calla palustris) of northern temperate regions, having small, densely clustered, greenish flowers partly enclosed in a spreading white spathe.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun [capitalized] A genus of araceous plants, of a single species, C. palustris, the water-arum, which occurs in cold marshes in Europe and North America.
  • noun A plant of the genus Calla.
  • noun A plant of the allied genus Richardia, or, according to the latest authorities, Zantedeschia: the common calla of house-cultivation. It is often erroneously called calla-lily, from the lily-like appearance of its pure-white flowers.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Bot.) A genus of plants, of the order Araceæ.

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

  • noun botany A South African marsh plant, Calla palustris, having pale green flowers in a white spathe.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun water arum
  • noun South African plant widely cultivated for its showy pure white spathe and yellow spadix

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[New Latin Calla, genus name, from Greek kallaia, wattle of a cock, perhaps from kallos, beauty.]

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Examples

  • This season I think I made the blooper reel because I couldn't get out the word 'calla lilies.'

    On the Set Farewell to Chuck Part 3: Cast Tears and Favorite Moments 2012

  • Your white calla is one of these, and the rich golden-club; and sweet flag – which many people call

    Gardening by Myself 1872

  • The price of flowers has increased over time, he said, especially for wedding favorites such as calla lilies and hydrangeas.

    post-gazette.com - News 2009

  • Monogram choices include adding wedding flowers such as calla lilies, roses, orchids, tulips and bouquets.

    Newswire Today - Free Newswire - Press Releases Distribution 2009

  • A silver candelabra covered with long strands of pearls, white feathers, and calla lilies adorned another set of tables.

    My Fair Wedding David Tutera 2011

  • Another table design consisted of two-tiered crystal candelabras overflowing with white trumpet calla lilies and crystal embellishments.

    My Fair Wedding David Tutera 2011

  • And while it isn't easy to pretty up the Javits Center, white calla lilies and silver drapes helped.

    In Gear at the Auto Show 2011

  • Instead of bouquets, I had each of them carry matching clutches adorned with calla lilies and peacock feathers—they were elegant, unique, and completely unexpected.

    My Fair Wedding David Tutera 2011

  • On the larger, rectangular tables I used Lucite stands to place white pillar candles, votives, and bouquets of white roses, gerbera daisies, calla lilies, orchids, and beach grasses at varying heights for maximum visual impact.

    My Fair Wedding David Tutera 2011

  • Use reflective surfaces such as glass and Lucite, and shimmery metallic containers filled with arrangements of orchids, tulips, and calla lilies to give the room a modern edge.

    My Fair Wedding David Tutera 2011

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