columbine

¹

[kol-uhm-bahyn]

noun

1. a plant, Aquilegia caerula, of the buttercup family, having showy flowers with white petals and white to blue sepals that form long, backward spurs: the state flower of Colorado.

2. any of various other plants of the genus Aquilegia, characterized by divided leaves and showy flowers of various colors.

columbine

²

[kol-uhm-bahyn, -bin]

adjective

1. of a dove.

2. dovelike; dove-colored.

Columbine

³

[kol-uhm-bahyn]

noun

1. a female character in commedia dell'arte and pantomime: sweetheart of Harlequin.

2. a female given name.

Columbine

¹

/ ˈkɒləmˌbaɪn /

noun

1. (originally) the character of a servant girl in commedia dell'arte

2. (later) the sweetheart of Harlequin in English pantomime

columbine

²

/ ˈkɒləmˌbaɪn /

noun

1. Also called: aquilegia. any plant of the ranunculaceous genus Aquilegia, having purple, blue, yellow, or red flowers with five spurred petals

columbine

³

/ ˈkɒləmˌbaɪn /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or resembling a dove

Word History and Origins

Origin of Columbine¹

1275–1325; Middle English < Medieval Latin columbīna ( herba ) dovelike (plant), feminine of Latin columbīnus ( columbine ² ); the inverted flower looks like a group of doves

Origin of Columbine²

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin columbīnus, equivalent to columb ( a ) dove + -īnus -ine ¹

Origin of Columbine³

1720–30; < Italian Columbina literally, dovelike girl; columbine ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of Columbine¹

C13: from Medieval Latin columbīna herba dovelike plant, from Latin columbīnus dovelike, from the resemblance of the flower to a group of doves

Origin of Columbine²

C14: from Old French colombin, from Latin columbīnus dovelike, from columba dove

Example Sentences

Nearby, tiny Oregon irises are just starting to bloom adjacent to native columbines.

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One message the vandals left: “There’s going to be a #columbine massacre.”

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You can help your gardens along by selecting plants that re-seed themselves — flowers such as columbine, coreopsis, and lupine will self-sow and spread throughout your gardens each year.

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Thick vegetation lines the trail, including giant cottonwood, creek dogwood, willow and red cedar trees, as well as various species of fern, red columbine, thistle, wild ginger and dozens of other native plants.

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By summer, the meadows are illuminated with the bright colors of blue bells, paintbrush, columbine, glacier lilies, purple penstemon and more.

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