gladiolus
noun /ˌɡlædiˈəʊləs/
/ˌɡlædiˈəʊləs/
(plural gladioli
/ˌɡlædiˈəʊlaɪ/
/ˌɡlædiˈəʊlaɪ/
)- a tall garden plant with long thin leaves and brightly coloured flowers growing up the stemWord OriginOld English (originally denoting the ‘gladdon’, a purple-flowered iris), from Latin, diminutive of gladius ‘sword’ (used as a plant name by Pliny).