Home

Word of the Day

Archives

Clever Clue of the Month

The Cruciverbalist

Links

Daily Email

LIS (leez)

French for lily
Common clue: Fleur-de-___; Lille lily; French flower; Easter fleur; Flower on a French shield
Crossword puzzle frequency: 2 times a year
Frequency in English language: 42082 / 86800
Video: Lily – Time Lapse

The fleur-de-lys is a stylized design of either an iris or a lily and is used both decoratively and symbolically. It may be purely ornamental or it may be "at one and the same time political, dynastic, artistic, emblematic and symbolic", especially in heraldry. While it has appeared on countless European coats of arms and flags over the centuries, the fleur-de-lis is particularly associated with the French monarchy on a historical context, and nowadays with the Spanish monarchy as the only remaining monarchs of the House of Bourbon (Anjou Bourbon). It is an enduring symbol of France, but, being regarded most notably as the emblem of the monarchy, was not adopted officially by any of the French republics. On the contrary, as Spain is a constitutional monarchy, the fleur-de-lis symbol is associated with the Spanish King Juan Carlos I (of French dynasty origin) and the Kingdom of Spain. In North America, the fleur-de-lis is often associated with areas formerly settled by France, such as Quebec and Louisiana and with the Francophones in other Canadian provinces. It is also the emblem of the Swiss Municipality of Schlieren, Zürich.

It appears on military insignia and the logos of many different organizations, and during the 20th century it was adopted by various Scouting organizations worldwide for their badges. Architects and designers may use it alone or as a repeated motif in a wide range of contexts, from ironwork to bookbinding. As a religious symbol it may represent the Holy Trinity, or be an iconographic attribute of the archangel Gabriel, notably in representations of the Annunciation. It is also associated with the Virgin Mary.

Since Hurricane Katrina, the fleur de lis has become the unifying (and somewhat defiant) symbol for citizens of New Orleans. The symbol has always been a presence in Louisiana but has become ubiquitous of late. Bearing the symbol on houses, clothing, jewelry, cars, etc. is widely viewed as a symbol of the rebuilding of the city and as a reminder of home.

The symbol is also often used on a compass rose to mark the north direction, a tradition started by Flavio Gioja.

As mentioned, the fleur-de-lys has become a symbol of unification. Many modern couples get married and often engrave this symbol on their tungsten wedding bands or wedding rings. This engraving is used as a symbol to display a fusion of the two individuals as becoming united as a whole family.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Fleur-de-lis". 

TET (401)