Holly Definition

hŏlē

hollies

noun

Any of a genus (Ilex) of small trees and shrubs of the holly family, with stiff, glossy, sharp-pointed leaves and clusters of bright-red berries.

Webster's New World

The leaves and berries, used as Christmas decorations.

Webster's New World

Any of various similar or related plants.

American Heritage

A feminine name.

Webster's New World

The wood from this tree.

Wiktionary

Synonyms:

pronoun

A female given name.

Wiktionary

A topographic surname.

Wiktionary

adjective

Designating a family (Aquifoliaceae, order Celastrales) of dicotyledonous trees and shrubs, including the dahoon and black alder.

Webster's New World

Other Word Forms of Holly

Singular:

holly

Plural:

hollies

From Middle English holly, holi, holie, a shortened variation of holin, holyn (> English dialectal hollen, holm), from Old English holeġn, holen (“holly; prince, protector”), from Proto-Germanic *hulisaz (“butcher's broom”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱol- (“thorn, awn; a kind of thorny plant; prickly”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱel- (“to cut”). Cognate with Scots holin, hollin, holyn (“holly”), Dutch hulst (“holly”), German Hulst (“holly”), French houx ("holly" < Germanic), Danish hylver (“holly”), Welsh celyn (“holly”), Russian колос (kolos, “ear of wheat”), Albanian kalli (“straw, chaff”), Sanskrit कटम्ब (kaṭamba, “arrow”), Old Church Slavonic класъ (klasŭ, “ear of grain”).

From Wiktionary
Middle English holin, holi from Old English holen

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
From the holly tree.

From Wiktionary