The Spanish word 'lirio' meaning 'lily' traces its roots back through Latin 'lilium' to Ancient Greek 'leirion' (λείριον), both of which also meant 'lily'. The word underwent relatively minor phonetic changes as it passed from Greek through Latin into Spanish, with the main change being the simplification of the 'li' sound to 'ri' in Spanish.

While 'lirio' itself is a fairly common Spanish word for 'lily', you might also encounter 'azucena', another Spanish word for lily, though these come from different etymological roots.

The English word 'lily' is a cousin of Spanish 'lirio', as both descend from the same Latin word 'lilium'. You can see how both languages preserved the 'li-' beginning, though Spanish changed the second 'l' to an 'r'. This shared ancestry makes it easier to remember that 'lirio' means 'lily' in Spanish.