What does daisy mean?
A daisy is one of the most familiar and best-loved wildflowers of Europe and North America, botanically known as Bellis perennis. It is a low-growing perennial that produces small flowers with a bright yellow central disc surrounded by slender white petals, often tinged pink, and it commonly carpets lawns, meadows, and roadsides from spring through autumn. The name derives from the Old English "dæges ēage," meaning "day's eye," a reference to the way the blossom opens at dawn and closes again at dusk. Beyond the common daisy, the term broadly covers many members of the large Asteraceae family, including oxeye daisies and Shasta daisies. The word carries warm connotations of innocence, simplicity, and freshness, appearing in idioms such as "fresh as a daisy" and in children's pastimes like making daisy chains.
nounA daisy is a small common European plant (Bellis perennis) of the daisy family, bearing a flower with a yellow central disc and white or pinkish ray petals; more broadly, the word refers to any of numerous related plants in the family Asteraceae with similar composite flowers.
- The common European lawn plant Bellis perennis, with white ray petals around a yellow disc.
- Any of various related plants of the family Asteraceae with similar daisy-like flowers.
- Informal figurative use: something excellent or first-rate (chiefly in American English, e.g. "that's a daisy").
"The lawn was dotted with daisies, each one turning its face toward the sun."
"She wore a sprig of daisies tucked behind her ear."
"He woke up feeling fresh as a daisy after ten hours of sleep."
Standard plural: the final -y changes to -ies, as with most nouns ending in consonant + y.
"By June the whole field was white with daisies."
"Daisy" comes from an Old English phrase meaning "day's eye," because the flower closes at night and reopens with the morning sun.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of daisy
The word daisy comes from Old English dæges ēage, literally "day's eye," so named because the flower opens with the sunrise and closes at nightfall. It has been part of the English language since before the Norman Conquest, making it one of the oldest attested flower names in English. The botanical genus Bellis comes from Latin, where bellis was itself a name for this plant. Related Germanic forms survive in other languages, reflecting the flower's long-standing place in northern European culture.
Word family
Usage notes
The plural is spelled daisies (the -y becomes -ies). In informal British and Australian speech, "a daisy" can mean something excellent, though this sense is somewhat dated. The phrase "pushing up daisies" is a humorous euphemism for being dead.
Don't confuse with
Lazy means unwilling to work or energetic effort, while a daisy is a flowering plant — the words merely rhyme, but their similar sound can trip up learners.