HYACINTHS

Noun

hyacinths

plural of hyacinth

Source: Wiktionary


HYACINTH

Hy"a*cinth, n. Etym: [L. hyacinthus a kind of flower, prob. the iris, gladiolus, or larkspur, also a kind of gem, perh. the sapphire; as, a proper name, Hyacinthus, a beautiful Laconian youth, beloved by Apollo, fr. Gr. hyacinthe. Cf. Jacinth. The hyacinth was fabled to have sprung from the blood of Hyacinthus, who was accidentally slain by Apollo.]

1. (Bot.) (a) A bulbous plant of the genus Hyacinthus, bearing beautiful spikes of fragrant flowers. H. orientalis is a common variety. (b) A plant of the genus Camassia (C. Farseri), called also Eastern camass; wild hyacinth. (c) The name also given to Scilla Peruviana, a Mediterranean plant, one variety of which produces white, and another blue, flowers; -- called also, from a mistake as to its origin, Hyacinth of Peru.

2. (Min.)

Definition: A red variety of zircon, sometimes used as a gem. See Zircon. Hyacinth bean (Bot.), a climbing leguminous plant (Dolichos Lablab), related to the true bean. It has dark purple flowers and fruit.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

12 May 2025

UNSEASONED

(adjective) not tried or tested by experience; “unseasoned artillery volunteers”; “still untested in battle”; “an illustrator untried in mural painting”; “a young hand at plowing”


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Coffee Trivia

The word “coffee” entered the English language in 1582 via the Dutch “koffie,” borrowed from the Ottoman Turkish “kahve,” borrowed in turn from the Arabic “qahwah.” The Arabic word qahwah was traditionally held to refer to a type of wine.

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