fleur-de-lys

Stylized lily symbol

Fleur-de-lys is a stylized lily used as a decorative motif and heraldic symbol, consisting of three petals bound together at the base.

It appears prominently in French heraldry and remains associated with French royalty and culture: the fleur-de-lys on the Quebec flag.

The plural is fleurs-de-lys.

Also spelled fleur-de-lis.

heraldry

coat of arms

Hereditary symbolic emblem

tincture · field · ordinaries · charge · mantling · crest · shield · emblem · insignia · banner

botanical

iris

Eye's pigmented disc

  • lilyTrumpet-shaped garden bloom
  • petalBloom's colorful segment
  • bloomFlower or flourishing state

flowering · garden

symbol

emblem

Representational sign or device

  • insigniaDistinguishing mark of rank
  • motifRecurring thematic element
  • deviceConstructed tool or machine

logo · ornament · decoration · iconography · trefoil · New Orleans · Quebec · Florence · Scouts · decorative arts

royalty

French monarchy

Royal rule of France

  • BourbonFrench ruling family
  • crownSovereign's ornamental headpiece
  • throneCeremonial chair for sovereigns

Louis XIV · sovereignty · regalia · king · queen · dynasty · nobility · coronation · majesty · Versailles

Opposites
symbolic artifice vs. natural form

fleur-de-lyswild flower

Unplanted flowering plant

wildflower · botanical illustration

monarchical/French identity vs. opposing political symbols

fleur-de-lystricolore

Three-colored national flag

Marianne · guillotine · hammer and sickle · red rose · Tudor rose

aristocratic refinement vs. common/plebeian symbols

fleur-de-lyssans-culotte

French Revolution commoner militant

Family

flower, floral, florist, fleur-de-lis, floristry, fleurs-de-lis

Familiarity
Top 500,000
Profile
Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G