amaranth

American  

[am-uh-ranth] / ˈæm əˌrænθ /

noun

• amaranths
  plural

1. an imaginary, undying flower.

2. any plant of the genus Amaranthus, some species of which are cultivated as food and some for their showy flower clusters or foliage.

3. the grain of certain Amaranthus species, used for food and noted as an important staple grain of the Aztecs.

4. Chemistry. a purplish-red, water-soluble powder, C 20 H 11 N 2 O 10 Na 3 , an azo dye used chiefly to color pharmaceuticals, food, and garments.

5. purpleheart.

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amaranth British  

/ ˈæməˌrænθ /

noun

1. poetic an imaginary flower that never fades

2. any of numerous tropical and temperate plants of the genus Amaranthus, having tassel-like heads of small green, red, or purple flowers: family Amaranthaceae See also love-lies-bleeding tumbleweed pigweed

3. a synthetic red food colouring ( E123 ), used in packet soups, cake mixes, etc

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• amaranths
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of amaranth

First recorded in 1545–55; from French amarante or New Latin amaranthus (genus name), from Latin amarantus (masculine noun), alteration of Greek amáranton “unfading flower,” noun use of neuter singular of amárantos “unfading, imperishable,” equivalent to a- a- ⁶ ( def. ) ( see an- ¹ ( def. )) + maran- (stem of maraínein “to fade”) + -tos verbal adjective suffix; -th- as if from Greek ánthos “flower”

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

amaranth amaranths

Heavy use of longstanding herbicides, like glyphosate, the main ingredient in Bayer’s Roundup, has contributed to resistance developing among weeds such as waterhemp and palmer amaranth.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 6, 2026

Figure out how many anchor flowers you’ll need, and roughly how many filler stems — such as greens, draping clusters of amaranth or smaller flowers like baby’s breath — are required to make each arrangement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 20, 2024

"For example, the bacterial community in amaranth sourdough produces an aroma that smells almost exactly like ham," McKenney says.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2023

The secret to the stink is a leafy green called amaranth.

From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2023

Abdul Cader, the medicine man, was sitting at a bench outside, pounding amaranth leaves.

From "The Boy Who Met a Whale" by Nizrana Farook

Fraga said she’s particularly excited to see the fringed amaranths bloom.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2023

This year, she’s recommending dried fruit, ferns and amaranths instead.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 8, 2021

The poetic plant list ranges from asters to zinnias, from wallflowers and cosmos to gillyflowers, tree mallows, trailing lobelias, globe amaranths, toadflax and perennial sage.

From New York Times ● May 12, 2016

So do amaranths, which have been a human food staple as well.

From Scientific American ● Sep. 9, 2011

Chili peppers, squashes, amaranths, and chenopods are other crops of which different but related species were domesticated in Mesoamerica and South America, since no species was able to spread fast enough to preempt the others.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

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