Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for cornflower. Search instead for colorful sunflower.

cornflower

American  
[kawrn-flou-er] / ˈkɔrnˌflaʊ ər /

noun

  • cornflowers
    plural
  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 British  
/ 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

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of cornflower

First recorded in 1570–80; corn 1 + flower

Vocabulary lists containing cornflower

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Several papers also carry pictures of Catherine, Princess of Wales in a cornflower blue suit at Wimbldon.

From BBC Jul. 3, 2026

A few years ago, Buchweitz tried to develop the cornflower blue as a colorant for the food industry, but it didn’t pan out.

From Science Magazine Jun. 14, 2023

Flower colors vary from deep cornflower blue to shocking pink, or a softer blue to delicate pink, depending on how acid the soil is.

From Seattle Times Feb. 25, 2023

When Peter Lai opens the door to his Arts District loft, he’s wearing high-waisted teal slacks, a seafoam mesh top printed with a dragon, a bright blue cap and cornflower acetate glasses.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 22, 2022

The sky glows cottony white and cornflower blue.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Some of my favorites include violas, zinnias, rose petals, cornflowers and flowering herbs.

From Salon Oct. 22, 2022

Fresh flowers sometimes make an appearance — vibrant blue cornflowers, or purple and orange nasturtium blossoms — as do showers of crumbled dried herbs.

From Los Angeles Times May 2, 2019

Anthocyanins can change color depending on the acidity of a solution, so Willstätter proposed that roses had a different hue because the pH in their petals was lower than in cornflowers.

From Science Magazine May 2, 2019

She made poppies out of paper for Remembrance Day while living in Africa, and sold the French equivalent of poppies, blue cornflowers, while living with her husband in France.

From BBC May 31, 2018

I struggled into my white bathrobe with the blue cornflowers on it and staggered down to the bathroom.

From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training