See Also: narcissus(medicine)
narcissus(dictionary)
Narcissus(encyclopedia)
narcissus(dictionary)

narcissus (iou)



narcissus noun. , -ssuses. M16.
[Latin from Greek narkissos, perh. from narke numbness, with ref. to its narcotic effects: for sense 2 see NARCISSISM.]
Botany. Any of numerous bulbous spring-flowering plants of the genus Narcissus (family Amaryllidaceae), much grown for ornament; esp. one with a corona shorter than the perianth segments and often several flowers on the stem (cf. DAFFODIL); spec. (also pheasant's eye narcissus) the plant N. poeticus, which has a fragrant white flower with a short yellow crimson-edged corona. Also, a flowering stem of such a plant. M16.
POETAZ narcissus.
A (usu. physically attractive) person characterized by extreme self-regard; a narcissist. E17.
attrib.: A. J. Munby His face..seemed to me weak and self-conscious; a Narcissus face.
Comb.: narcissus fly a hoverfly, Merodon equestris, resembling a bee, whose larvae infest the bulbs of narcissus and other plants, causing them to rot.