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dianthus

[dahy-an-thuh s]
noun, plural di·an·thus·es.
  1. any of numerous plants belonging to the genus Dianthus, of the pink family, as the carnation or sweet william.
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Origin of dianthus

< New Latin (Linnaeus) < Greek Di(ós) of Zeus (genitive of Zeús) + ánthos flower
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for dianthus

Historical Examples

  • A similar malformation in Dianthus barbatus is not uncommon.

    Vegetable Teratology

    Maxwell T. Masters

  • The Dianthus is a favourite flower for this purpose in Upper Germany.

  • It may be doubted whether the Dianthus superbus of Miller's Dict.

  • Dianthus, dī-an′thus, n. the genus of herbaceous flowers to which carnations and pinks belong.

  • This Dianthus has the more interest from its similarity to the one described by Goethe, Metam.

    Vegetable Teratology

    Maxwell T. Masters

British Dictionary definitions for dianthus

dianthus

noun plural -thuses
  1. any Eurasian caryophyllaceous plant of the widely cultivated genus Dianthus, such as the carnation, pink, and sweet william
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Word Origin

C19: New Latin, from Greek di- 1 + anthos flower
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 dianthus

Dianthus

n.

1849, from Modern Latin (Linnaeus), literally "flower of Zeus," from Greek Dios, genitive of Zeus "Zeus" (see Zeus) + anthos "flower" (see anther).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper