† ˈaffodill Obs.
Forms: 5 affadille, affodylle, 5–6 affadyll(e, 6 affodyl, 7 affodille, -dill, -dil.
[ad. med.L. affodillus (Promp. Parv., Turner Lib., and Bailey vol. II), prob. for late L. *asfodillus, *asphodillus, for cl. L. asphodilus (Pallad.) and asphodelus; a. Gr. ἀσϕοδελός. The form *asphodillus (whence Ital. asfodillo) was prob. due, as in some other words, to the simulation of a diminutive ending. Another med.L. corruption was affrodillus (Turner Lib.), whence Fr. afrodille.]
1. Name of a liliaceous genus of plants, Asphodel, or King's Spear (Asphodelus, incl. Anthericum), natives of the south of Europe, and grown as garden flowers and medicinal herbs.
(In this sense Daffodill, and Daffadilly, are mentioned as variant forms of Affodil as early as 1538 and as late as 1611.)
| c 1420 Pallad. on Husb. i. 921 With affadille upclose her hooles alle; Thai [field mice] gnawe it oute, but dede downe shal thai falle. 1440 Prom. Parv., Affodylle herbe [v.r. affadylle], affodillus, albucea. [v.r. affadilla.] 1483 Cathol. Angl., An Affodylle; Affodillus, harba. 1530 Palsgr. 193/2 Affadyll a yelowe floure—affrodille. [Asphodelus luteus.] 1538 Turner Libellus A 3, Asphodelus a latinis hasta regia & albucum dicitur, a barbaris & latine lingue corruptoribus aphrodillus & affodillus, ab anglis Affadyll & Daffadilly. 1578 Lyte Dodoens 647 The flower..is called in Greeke ἀνθερικός, Anthericos; and in Latine, as Plinie sayth, Albucum: in English also Affodyl and Daffodyll. [The modern Daffodil appears at p. 214 as Yellow Crowbels, Yellow Narcissus, Bastarde Narcissus.] 1611 Cotgr., Affrodille, th' Affodille, or Asphodill flower. Ibid., Asphodele, the Daffadill, Affodill, or Asphodill flower. Ibid., Hache royalle, the Affodille, or Asphodill flower; especially (the small kind thereof called) the Speare for a King. 1615 Markham Eng. Housewife 28 You must be carefull that you take not Daffodil for Affodil. |
2. Applied, by confusion, to a species of Narcissus. In this sense the variant daffodil (q.v.) became almost from the first the accepted form; so that eventually Affodill was confined to Asphodelus, and Daffodil to Narcissus.
| 1551 Turner Herbal i. b iij b, I could neuer se thys herb [asphodelos—ryght affodill] in England but ones, for the herbe that the people calleth here affodill or daffodill is a kynd of narcissus. |