cornflower

[kawrn-flou-er]

noun

1. Also called bachelor's-button, bluebottle. a European composite plant, Centaurea cyanus, growing in grainfields, having blue to white flower heads, often cultivated as an ornamental.

2. Also called cornflower blue. a deep, vivid blue.

3. corn cockle.

4. strawflower.

cornflower

/ ˈkɔːnˌflaʊə /

noun

1. Also called: bluebottle. a Eurasian herbaceous plant, Centaurea cyanus, with blue, purple, pink, or white flowers, formerly a common weed in cornfields: family Asteraceae (composites) See also bachelor's-buttons

Word History and Origins

Origin of cornflower¹

First recorded in 1570–80; corn ¹ + flower

Example Sentences

Five minutes into the new Hulu documentary “Last Take: Rust and the Story of Halyna,” the film’s director, Rachel Mason, stands against the cornflower blue of the endless New Mexican sky.

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Of course, in the fashion world, an item of clothing can't just be blue, so Laws says he thinks cornflower and cobalt blue will make a particular appearance across shows.

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In the resulting enigmatic dreamscapes, muted purples, cornflower blues and soft ochres bloom and spatter and fleck in surprising, delicate ways.

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The color palette recalled a rainy day on the highlands: moss, brown, slate gray and maroon, cornflower blue, mustard.

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Sold by the Cotswold Auction Company, it features scrolling foliage, Tudor Roses, cornflowers, daisies and fruit.

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