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centaurea

[sen-tawr-ee-uh]
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noun
  1. any of numerous composite plants of the genus Centaurea, having tubular flowers in a variety of colors.Compare cornflower(def 1), knapweed.
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Origin of centaurea

< New Latin (Linnaeus) by suffix change from Medieval Latin centauria; see centaury, -ea
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for centaurea

Historical Examples

  • Give the Coleus about six inches of lee-way, also the Centaurea.

    Amateur Gardencraft

    Eben E. Rexford

  • Centaurea (Cornflower), all shades of blue; three feet; blooms three months if kept cut.

    A Woman's Hardy Garden

    Helena Rutherfurd Ely

  • The stacks of such winter fodder as celery and Centaurea alata, and those of kiziks for fuel, are larger than the dwellings.

  • There, as in the Bakhtiari country, the people stack the Centaurea alata for winter fodder.

  • Some cultivation was observed, but as usual weedy, abounding with two species of Centaurea.

British Dictionary definitions for centaurea

centaurea

noun
  1. any plant of the genus Centaurea, which includes the cornflower and knapweed
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Word Origin

C19: ultimately from Greek Kentauros the Centaur; see centaury
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