amaranth

[ am-uh-ranth ]

/ ˈæm əˌrænθ /

noun

an imaginary, undying flower.

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

Chemistry. a purplish-red, water-soluble powder, C20H11N2O10Na3, an azo dye used chiefly to color pharmaceuticals, food, and garments.

purpleheart.

Nearby words

amanite, amantadine, amanuensis, amanullah khan, amapá, amaranth, amaranth family, amaranthaceous, amaranthine, amarelle, amaretti

Origin of amaranth

1545–55; < Latin amarantus, alteration of Greek amáranton unfading flower, noun use of neuter singular of amárantos, equivalent to a- a-⁶ + maran- (stem of maraínein to fade) + -tos verbal adjective suffix; -th- < Greek ánthos flower

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for amaranth

Look for:Purchase breads containing seeds and a mixture of healthy grains (like millet and amaranth) other than just brown rice.
How to Buy Gluten-Free Without Getting Duped|DailyBurn|April 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Don't appear to be any night-hawk on the jack-staff—it's the Amaranth, dead sure!
The Gilded Age, Complete|Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner
And just at that moment a red glare appeared in the head of the chute and the Amaranth came springing after them!
The Gilded Age, Complete|Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner
Amiral Gravina, blackish-purple, changing to amaranth, large and full.
The Book of Roses|Francis Parkman

He had a girth of gold and silver round his body, and his tail was plaited with amaranth and blue velvet ribbons.
Pinocchio|C. Collodi
Here Rudolf rubbed the amaranth between his fingers, and innumerable little dark seeds fell into the palm of his hand.
A Hungarian Nabob|Maurus Jkai

British Dictionary definitions for amaranth

amaranth

/ (ˈæməˌrænθ) /

noun

poetic an imaginary flower that never fades

any of numerous tropical and temperate plants of the genus Amaranthus, having tassel-like heads of small green, red, or purple flowers: family AmaranthaceaeSee also love-lies-bleeding, tumbleweed, pigweed (def. 1)

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

Word Origin for amaranth

C17: from Latin amarantus, from Greek amarantos unfading, from a- 1 + marainein to fade

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for amaranth

amaranth

1610s, from French amarante, from Latin amarantus, from Greek amarantos, name of an unfading flower, literally "everlasting," from a- "not" + stem of marainein "die away, waste away, quench, extinguish," from PIE *mer- "to rub away, harm" (see nightmare). In classical use, a poet's word for an imaginary flower that never fades. It was applied to a genus of ornamental plants 1550s. Ending influenced by plant names with Greek -anthos "flower."