lillian

English - English

Definition of lillian in English English dictionary

A female given name. (This is the standard American spelling.)

Lillian Russell was christened Helen Louise Leonard. Tony Pastor gave her the name Lillian Russell, for the very practical reason, I believe, that it had so many l's in it, and consequently would look well on a bill-board.

Gish Lillian Diana Hellman Lillian Florence Russell Lillian

This is the standard American spelling

{i} female first name

Related Terms

Lillian Diana Gish

born Oct. 14, 1893, Springfield, Ohio, U.S. died Feb. 27, 1993, New York, N.Y. U.S. film and theater actress. She acted on Broadway and with touring companies from age five, often with her sister, Dorothy (1898-1968). Their screen careers began when D.W. Griffith featured them in An Unseen Enemy (1912). Lillian won international fame in The Birth of a Nation (1915) and starred as the luminous heroine of other Griffith films such as Broken Blossoms (1919), Way Down East (1920), and Orphans of the Storm (1921). Dorothy was a popular star in light comedies through the 1920s, but her career was overshadowed by her sister's durable fame. After the hits La Bohème and The Scarlet Letter (both 1926), Lillian's film career waned and she returned to the stage in plays such as Uncle Vanya (1930), Hamlet (with John Gielgud, 1936), Life with Father (1940), and The Trip to Bountiful (1953). Returning to the screen, she was acclaimed in The Night of the Hunter (1955), A Wedding (1978), and The Whales of August (1987)

Lillian Florence Hellman

born June 20, 1905, New Orleans, La., U.S. died June 30, 1984, Vineyard Haven, Martha's Vineyard, Mass. U.S. playwright. After working as a book reviewer, press agent, and play reader, she began writing plays in the 1930s. Her first major success, The Children's Hour (1934), concerned two schoolteachers falsely accused of lesbianism. She examined family infighting in her hit The Little Foxes (1939) and political injustice in Watch on the Rhine (1941). All were made into successful films. Called before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1952, she refused to testify. She wrote several memoirs and edited the works of her longtime companion, the novelist Dashiell Hammett

Lillian Gish

born Oct. 14, 1893, Springfield, Ohio, U.S. died Feb. 27, 1993, New York, N.Y. U.S. film and theater actress. She acted on Broadway and with touring companies from age five, often with her sister, Dorothy (1898-1968). Their screen careers began when D.W. Griffith featured them in An Unseen Enemy (1912). Lillian won international fame in The Birth of a Nation (1915) and starred as the luminous heroine of other Griffith films such as Broken Blossoms (1919), Way Down East (1920), and Orphans of the Storm (1921). Dorothy was a popular star in light comedies through the 1920s, but her career was overshadowed by her sister's durable fame. After the hits La Bohème and The Scarlet Letter (both 1926), Lillian's film career waned and she returned to the stage in plays such as Uncle Vanya (1930), Hamlet (with John Gielgud, 1936), Life with Father (1940), and The Trip to Bountiful (1953). Returning to the screen, she was acclaimed in The Night of the Hunter (1955), A Wedding (1978), and The Whales of August (1987)

Lillian Hellman

a US writer of plays, whose most famous works are The Children's Hour and The Little Foxes. She is also remembered for refusing to name anyone as a Communist in front of the huac (1905-84). born June 20, 1905, New Orleans, La., U.S. died June 30, 1984, Vineyard Haven, Martha's Vineyard, Mass. U.S. playwright. After working as a book reviewer, press agent, and play reader, she began writing plays in the 1930s. Her first major success, The Children's Hour (1934), concerned two schoolteachers falsely accused of lesbianism. She examined family infighting in her hit The Little Foxes (1939) and political injustice in Watch on the Rhine (1941). All were made into successful films. Called before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1952, she refused to testify. She wrote several memoirs and edited the works of her longtime companion, the novelist Dashiell Hammett

Lillian Russell

orig. Helen Louise Leonard born Dec. 4, 1861, Clinton, Iowa, U.S. died June 6, 1922, Pittsburgh, Pa. U.S. singer and actress. She made her stage debut while still in her teens. She achieved stardom in Grand Mogul (1881) and later won acclaim in The Grand Duchess (1890). From 1899 to 1904 she appeared in England and the U.S. with a burlesque company. Representing the feminine ideal of her generation, she was as famous for her flamboyant personal life as for her hourglass figure, her beauty, and her voice. After her fourth marriage in 1912, she wrote a syndicated column on health, beauty, and love and lectured on these topics before vaudeville audiences

Hyphenation

Lil·li·an

Turkish pronunciation

lîliın

Pronunciation

/ˈləlēən/ /ˈlɪliːən/

Etymology

() Used since the sixteenth century, possibly originally a pet form of Elizabeth, but generally accepted as a variant of Late Latin lilium "lily".