*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of yuri

Borrowed from Japanese 百合(ゆり) (yuri, “lily”), by analogy to 薔薇(バラ) (bara, “rose”), indicating love. See Yuri (genre) § “Terminology and etymology” at Wikipedia.

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
noun

A narrative or visual work featuring a romantic or sexual relationship between women.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Japanese 百合(ゆり) (yuri, “lily”), by analogy to 薔薇(バラ) (bara, “rose”), indicating love. See Yuri (genre) § “Terminology and etymology” at Wikipedia.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "ja:百合",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"transliteration\" : \"yuri\", \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Japanese\", \"term\" : \"百合\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"ja\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"yuri\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"yuri\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ja",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Japanese"
    },
    {
      "name": "ja-r",
      "args": {
        "1": "百合",
        "2": "ゆり",
        "3": "lily"
      },
      "expansion": "百合(ゆり) (yuri, “lily”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "ja-r",
      "args": {
        "1": "薔薇",
        "2": "バラ",
        "3": "rose"
      },
      "expansion": "薔薇(バラ) (bara, “rose”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "ja:百合",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "百合(ゆり)",
      "百合#Japanese"
    ],
    [
      "薔薇(バラ)",
      "薔薇#Japanese"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A narrative or visual work featuring a romantic or sexual relationship between women."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Japanese",
        "especially",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "recordId": "94a9bd52f2f84fa01f30f4e3c3f1ce0ac40fdd6a9a82a81729c03ce249c9586e",
      "rawRecordSha256": "eb3b163b7a6b97aae112b74abdfb6ab7d2637ae0ca0c56c4b3abcf121a01333d",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 811264
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for yuri →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-eXVyaQ