What does edelweiss mean?
Edelweiss is a small perennial flowering plant, Leontopodium nivale, that grows in rocky limestone terrain at high altitudes in the European Alps, the Carpathians, and other mountain ranges. Its name comes from German, meaning literally 'noble white', a reference to the dense felt of silvery-white hairs that clothe its star-shaped flower heads. Because the flower flourishes in inaccessible spots, nineteenth-century mountaineers prized picking one as evidence of daring, and demand grew so intense that the species became scarce; it is now a protected plant in several countries. The edelweiss endures as an emblem of the Alps, appearing on coins, emblems, and military insignia, and it gained worldwide familiarity through the song 'Edelweiss' in the musical The Sound of Music. In English usage the word functions almost entirely as the name of the plant, though it is sometimes invoked figuratively to suggest purity, rarity, or rugged mountain beauty.
nounA small alpine flowering plant of the daisy family, Leontopodium nivale, native to high European mountains, with woolly white bracts surrounding a cluster of yellow florets. It is a well-known symbol of the Alps and of rugged purity, and is strictly protected in several countries.
- The alpine plant Leontopodium nivale (or its close relative Leontopodium alpinum), with distinctive woolly white floral bracts.
"The hikers climbed past the snow line hoping to spot an edelweiss growing in the rocky scree."
"She pressed an edelweiss between the pages of her travel journal as a keepsake from the Tyrol."
"The song 'Edelweiss' made the little white blossom famous far beyond the mountains where it grows."
The anglicized plural 'edelweisses' is standard in careful prose, while many writers leave the word unchanged when referring to multiple blooms collectively.
"The meadow above the hut was dotted with delicate edelweisses."
The edelweiss became so coveted by 19th-century climbers seeking it as proof of Alpine daring that Switzerland and other countries now legally protect it.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of edelweiss
Edelweiss was borrowed into English in the mid-nineteenth century directly from German, where the compound joins 'edel', meaning 'noble', and 'Weiss', meaning 'white'. The German element 'edel' descends from an ancient Germanic root meaning noble or of high birth, which also surfaces in names such as Adelaide and in the archaic English word 'atheling'. The name reflects both the flower's pale appearance and the esteem in which Alpine peoples held it.
How edelweiss is actually used
The word carries strong romantic and patriotic connotations in Alpine countries, where the flower serves as a national and military emblem, notably on the caps of Austrian and German mountain troops. In English it appears mostly in travel writing, gardening, and references to 'The Sound of Music'; it can also be used figuratively to evoke remote, pristine places.