reseda

[ ri-see-duh ]

/ rɪˈsi də /

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noun

a grayish green.

adjective

grayish green, like the flowers of the mignonette.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of reseda

1745–55 as name of plant genus including mignonette; 1870–75 for current senses; <New Latin: genus name, Latin resēda (according to Pliny, literally, heal! (imperative of resēdāre to heal, assuage), referring to the plant's use in treating tumors)

Words nearby reseda

research quantum, reseat, reseau, resect, resection, reseda, reselect, resell, resemblance, resemblant, resemble

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use reseda in a sentence

The reseda, or mignonette, is planted from seed, as here in England.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 643, April 28, 1888|Various
They are found in the market in short lengths and in such attractive colours as Delft blue, reseda green, pink, and catawba.
The Library of Work and Play: Home Decoration|Charles Franklin Warner
Reseda very common, but very small, Heliotropium ditto, Crucifera hispida ditto.
Journals of Travels in Assam, Burma, Bhootan, Afghanistan and The|William Griffith
Bess looked beautifully charming in her well-fitted jacket and divided skirt of reseda green.
The Brand|Therese Broderick

Weld is the dried plant Reseda luteola, a species of wild mignonette, formerly largely cultivated in Europe.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 8|Various

British Dictionary definitions for reseda

reseda

/ (ˈrɛsɪdə) /

noun

any plant of the European genus Reseda, including mignonette and dyer's rocket, which has small spikes of grey-green flowers

adjective

of a greyish-green colour; mignonette

Word Origin for reseda

C18: from New Latin, from Latin: heal! from resēdāre to assuage, from re- + sēdāre to soothe; see sedate ²

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