Definitions
any tree or shrub of the genus Ilex having red berries and shiny evergreen leaves with prickly edges
Word origin
From Middle English holly, holi, holie, a shortened variation of holin, holyn (> English dialectal hollen, holm), from Old English holeġn, holen (“holly; prince, protector”), from Proto-West Germanic *hulis (“holly”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *kelh₂- (“to beat, break”).
Used in a sentence
“Have a tree or two the witches particularly like, such as the alder, larch, cypress and hemlock; then, to counteract any possible evil effects, there must be a holly, yew, hazel, elder, mountain ash or juniper.”
“Grandma said, "I used to know a little girl called Holly - she always had her dresses trimmed with red or green." Milly-Molly-Mandy thought that was quite a nice name.”
“"Holly, would you mind if I named my little girl 'Holly'? I mean, it's right around Christmas time, and I always think of holly with Christmas.”
Source: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0
Used as a crossword answer2 curated clues
01“Prickly evergreen”5 letters
02“Evergreen with red berries”5 letters
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