daphne Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun any of several ornamental shrubs with shiny mostly evergreen leaves and clusters of small bell-shaped flowers
  2. noun (Greek mythology) a nymph who was transformed into a laurel tree to escape the amorous Apollo

WordNet


Daph"ne noun
Etymology
L., a laurel tree, from Gr. .
Definitions
  1. (Bot.) A genus of diminutive Shrubs, mostly evergreen, and with fragrant blossoms.
  2. (Myth.) A nymph of Diana, fabled to have been changed into a laurel tree.

Webster 1913