Forms: α. 4–6 flour(e-de-lys(e, -lies, -lyce, (pl. -lycis), 7 -lis, 5–7 -luce, pl. -luces, 6 floredelise, Sc. 5 flour(e-the-lis, -lys. β. 6–9 flower-, (6 flowre-)de-luce, (pl. -luces), 6–7 -lice, (pl. -lices, 6 -lyce, 8 -lys, 7–9 -lis. γ. 8–9 fleur-de-lys, 9 -lis, pl. 7 fleur-de-lysses, -lyzes, 9 fleurs-de-lis, -lys, -luce. [The prevailing form is a. mod.F. fleur de lis, formerly lys; but this form is scarcely found in Eng. before the 19th c.; see above. The form flower-de-luce survives as a poetical archaism and in U.S. The Fr. is literally ‘lily-flower’ from lis, formerly lys, in OF. liz for lils lily, the s of the nom. sing. being retained in the oblique cases; the English spelling de-lice, de-lyce, was in its origin merely graphic (cf. price, mice, syce, etc.), but in the 16th c. was associated with a fanciful etymology flos deliciæ, and the form deluce, de luce apparently also leaned upon a fanciful derivation. Occasional English forms were deluce, delyce flowre.]
1. The flower of a plant of the genus Iris (esp. I. pseudacorus); the plant itself. Cf. FLAG sb.1 1.
13[?]. E. E. Allit. P., A. 752. Þy colour passeȝ þe flour-de-lys.
a. 1400. Hymn Virg., vi., in Warton, Hist. Eng. Poetry, x. (1840), II. 110. Heil fairer then the flour de lys.
c. 1475. Rauf Coilȝear, 670. Flowris with Flourdelycis formest in feir.
1500–20. Dunbar, Thistle & Rose, 137.
| And lat no netill vyle, and full of vyce, | |
| Hir fallow to the gudly flour delyce. |
1590. Spenser, F. Q., II. vi. 16.
| The lilly, Ladie of the flowring field, | |
| The Flowre-deluce, her louely Paramoure, | |
| Bid thee to them thy fruitlesse labours yield, | |
| And soone leaue off this toylesome wearie stoure. |
1699. Bentley, Phal., Preface, p. civ. The Muses are invited to come under the shadow of Flower-de-luces.
1731–7. Miller, Gard. Dict. (ed. 4), s.v. Iris, Iris purpurea … Common purple Flower-de-luce.
1837. Campbell, Lines in La Perouse’s Voy., Poet. Wks. 298.
| When, rapt in fancy, many a boyish day | |
| I tracked his wanderings o’er the watery way, | |
| Roamed round the Aleutian isles in waking dreams, | |
| Or plucked the fleur-de-lys by Jesso’s streams. |
1866. Longf., Flower-de-luce, viii.
| O flower-de-luce, bloom on, and let the river | |
| Linger to kiss thy feet! | |
| O flower of song, bloom on, and make forever | |
| The world more fair and sweet. |
b. fig.
1500–20. Dunbar, Ballat Our Lady, 42. Haile, fair fresche flour-de-lyce!
2. The heraldic lily; a device supposed by some to have originally represented an iris, by others the top of a sceptre, of a battle-axe or other weapon. It is best known from having been borne upon the royal arms of France under the old monarchy.
c. 1400. Melayne, 94.
| Rysse vp, sir kynge, & wende thy waye, | |
| For faire þe sall by falle, | |
| To Charles þat beris the flour delyce. |
1488. in Ld. Treas. Accts. Scotl., I. 81. Item, ane vche of gold like a flourethelis of diamantis, and thre bedis of gold, a columbe of gold, and twa rubeis.
1539. Rastell, Pastyme (1811), 75. Hyt is seyd that .iii. floure delyse in a feld of asure was sent to Kyng Clouys, from heuyn, for his armys.
1622. Malynes, Anc. Law-Merch., 189. The French Kings Tent with the three Flowerdeluces, and the title of Primus Christianorum Rex.
1709. Addison, Tatler, No. 161, 18 April, ¶ 9. Persecution holding up a bloody Flag, embroidered with Flower-de-Luces.
1843. Lytton, Last Bar., II. ii. From a lofty head-gear, embroidered with fleur-de-lis, round which wreathed a light diadem of pearls, her hair of the pale yellow, considered then the perfection of beauty, flowed so straight and so shining down her shoulders, almost to the knees, that it seemed like a mantle of gold.
1851. Layard, Pop. Acc. Discov. Nineveh, vii. 163. The first god wears the square horned cap, surmounted by a point, or fleur-de-lys; holds a ring in one hand, and a thong or snake in the other, and stands on two animals, a bull and a kind of gryphon, or lion with the head of an eagle, but without wings.
b. The royal arms of France; hence also the French royal family, the French flag (before 1789), the French nation or government.
1352. Minot, Poems, iv. 25.
| Than the riche floure de lice | |
| Wan thare ful litill prise, | |
| Fast he fled for ferde. |
1494. Fabyan, Chron., VII. 519. He, beyng of ye naturall house of Fraunce, & one of ye flouredelyce, ought to see ye mayntenaunce of ye honour of the same.
1523. Ld. Berners, Froiss., I. ccclxiv. 593. A great parte of the floure delyse and of the chiualry of Fraunce is within the towne.
1556. Chron. Gr. Friars (Camden), 4. By the wych qwene the flower de lyce came in to the armes of Yenglond, and the tyttyll of France.
1581. Sidney, Astr. & Stella, lxxv.
| Nor that he [Edward IV.] made the Flower deluce so fraide, | |
| Though strongly hedgde of bloody Lyons pawes. |
a. 1628. F. Greville, Sidney (1652), 65. Either to fly for protection to the Flower-de-Luce, with whom they [the Netherlanders] join in continent; Or preciptately submit their necks to the yoking Cittadells of Spain, against whose inquisitions, and usurpations upon their Consciences, and Liberties, so much money, and bloud had been shed, and consumed already.
1800. Weems, Washington, xi. (1810), 165. The American tars, led on by the gallant Truxtun, had spread the fiery stars of LIBERTY, blasting on every sea their sickly fleurs-de-luce of gallic piracy.
1865. Parkman, Huguenots, ii. (1875), 23. They entered the port of Ganabara, and saw the fleur-de-lis floating above the walls of Fort Coligny.
3. The representation or figure of a heraldic fleur-de-lis on any article, e.g., that used to mark the north on a compass. Also, (Fr. Hist.) a brand-mark on a criminal.
1475. The Boke of Noblesse, 4. To vapour, sprede out, according to the flour delice, and avaunce hem forthe.
1594. Blundevil, Exerc., VII. xxiv. (ed. 7), 681. Of which lines that which is marked with the Flower-deluce signifieth the North.
1676. B. W[illis], Man. Goldsm., 100. Other sorts of weights … Marked … with … the Dagger … a Flower-de-luce, and … a Vessel or Ewer.
1739. Beighton, in Phil. Trans., XLI. 754. Each Chart has a Flower de Lys on its North Edge; and, as the Needle is moveable to any Side, Care must be taken, that the North End of the Needle, when it stands, should point the same Way as the Flower de Lys on the Charts.
1790. Burke, Fr. Rev., 124. We spurn from us with disgust and indignation the slanders of those who bring us their anecdotes with the attestation of the flower-de-luce on their shoulder.
1825. J. Nicholson, Operat. Mechanic, 491. As the ring turns round, the seconds upon it are shown by the top point of a fleur-de-lis C, engraved on the face of the dial-plate.
c. 1850. Rudim. Navig. (Weale), 5. In the compass, the northern extremity of the needle beneath is represented on the card above by the fleur-de-lis.
Hence Fleur-de-lis v. (after F. fleurdeliser), to brand (a criminal) with the fleur-de-lis. Fleur-de-lised ppl. a., adorned with fleurs-de-lis.
1650. Howell, Cotgrave’s Fr. Dict., Ep. Ded. It was as much as if he had been flourdeliz’d, viz. burnt in the back or hand, or branded in his face.
1686. J. Sergeant, Hist. Mon. Convent., 104. A Cross Flower-de-lys’d.
1843. Fraser’s Mag., XXVII. April, 418/2. The Count of Champagne was a peer of France, and, at the coronation, carried the fleur-de-lised banner.
