delphinium

American  

[del-fin-ee-uhm] / dɛlˈfɪn i əm /

noun

delphiniums, plural delphinia plural

1. any of numerous plants of the genus Delphinium, especially any of various tall, cultivated species having usually blue, pink, or white flowers.

---

delphinium British  

/ dɛlˈfɪnɪəm /

noun

1. any ranunculaceous plant of the genus Delphinium: many varieties are cultivated as garden plants for their spikes of blue, pink, or white spurred flowers See also larkspur

---

Usage

What does delphinium mean? A delphinium is a tall plant with blue, purple, pink, or white flowers. The flower itself is also commonly called a delphinium. The plural is delphiniums or delphinia. The genus Delphinium includes more than 300 species, and any of these can be referred to as a delphinium. Another name for the delphinium is larkspur (though not all flowers referred to as larkspurs are in the genus Delphinium). Delphiniums are part of the family Ranunculaceae. Delphinium is one of the July birth flowers (a flower that’s associated with a particular month in the same way as a birthstone). The blue variety is popular in bouquets. Example: I planted delphiniums behind the rose bush to give it a nice backdrop.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• delphinia
  plural
• delphiniums
  plural

Etymology

Origin of delphinium

1655–65; < New Latin < Greek delphī́nion larkspur, derivative of delphī́s (stem delphīn- ) dolphin; so called from the shape of the nectary

Example Sentences

The frog and its human champions — Ahab, Delphinium, Davy and Leroy — live in the late 21st century.

From Washington Post • Aug. 3, 2021

Image: Delphinium Books Before She Sleeps by Bina Shah In the future, Earth has been devastated by nuclear war and epidemics that have left the human population at low levels.

From The Verge • Aug. 1, 2018

I think the Larkspur Border, and the Blue Border both gain if a few plants of the pure white Delphinium, especially the variety called the Emperor, bloom by the blue flowers.

From Old-Time Gardens Newly Set Forth by Earle, Alice Morse

In Ranunculaceæ virescence has been observed in Delphinium elatum, crassicaule and Ajacis, Anemone hortensis and nemorosa, Aquilegia vulgaris, Ranunculus Philonotis.

From Vegetable Teratology An Account of the Principal Deviations from the Usual Construction of Plants by Masters, Maxwell T.

Hollyhock's baptismal name is Jacqueline; and Delphinium, my youngest'—his voice shook a little—'is Dorothy.'

From Hollyhock A Spirit of Mischief by Rainey, W. (William)