Emily Dickinson Lexicon

HOLLY, n. [Sax. holegn; D. hulst; perhaps L. ilex, for hilex. In Welsh, the corresponding word is celyn, from the root of celu, to conceal, L. celo. The ilex in Sw. is called iron oak.]

The holm tree, of the genus Ilex, of several species. The common holly grows from 20 to 30 feet high; the stem by age becomes large, and is covered with a grayish smooth bark, and set with branches which form a sort of cone. The leaves are oblong oval, of a lucid green on the upper surface, but pale on the under surface; the edges are indented and waved, with sharp thorns terminating each of the points. The flowers grow in clusters and are succeeded by roundish berries, which turn to a beautiful red about Michaelmas. This tree is a beautiful evergreen. Encyc. Knee-Holly, a plant, the butcher's broom, of the genus Ruscus. Sea-Holly, a plant, of the genus Eryngium.