cyclamen

[ sahy-kluh-muh n, -men, sik-luh- ]

/ ˈsaɪ klə mən, -ˌmɛn, ˈsɪk lə- /

noun

any low-growing plant of the genus Cyclamen, belonging to the primrose family, having tuberous rootstocks and nodding white, purple, pink, or crimson flowers with reflexed petals.

Nearby words

cycl-, cyclable, cyclades, cycladic, cyclamate, cyclamen, cyclamen aldehyde, cyclamic acid, cyclandelate, cyclarthrodial, cyclarthrosis

Origin of cyclamen

1540–50; < New Latin, Medieval Latin < Greek kyklámīnos bulbous plant, akin to kýklos cycle

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

Examples from the Web for cyclamen

It is rather dreary, with the snow, and this morning I found my cyclamen frozen on the shelf.
The Tin Soldier|Temple Bailey
Something like this is Cyclamen, sometimes cultivated as a house plant.
Elements of Structural and Systematic Botany|Douglas Houghton Campbell
The shooting-star, a near relative of the cyclamen, is as thick upon the earth as stars up in the sky.
Your National Parks|Enos A. Mills
To this day the thought of Margaret is inseparably bound up with the sight of a cyclamen's back-turned petals.
The New Machiavelli|Herbert George Wells

Better to place these pots of cyclamen on the window-sill, Mademoiselle, if you please.
The Disturbing Charm|Berta Ruck

British Dictionary definitions for cyclamen

cyclamen

/ (ˈsɪkləmən, -ˌmɛn) /

noun

any Old World plant of the primulaceous genus Cyclamen, having nodding white, pink, or red flowers, with reflexed petalsSee also sowbread

adjective

of a dark reddish-purple colour

Word Origin for cyclamen

C16: from Medieval Latin, from Latin cyclamīnos, from Greek kuklaminos, probably from kuklos circle, referring to the bulb-like roots

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 cyclamen

cyclamen

1550s, from Medieval Latin cyclamen, from Latin cyclaminos, from Greek kyklaminos, from kyklos "circle" (see cycle (n.)). So called in reference to the bulbous shape of the root.