reseda

[ri-see-duh]

noun

a grayish green.

adjective

grayish green, like the flowers of the mignonette.

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)

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

Examples from the Web for reseda

Historical Examples of reseda

Weld, Reseda luteola, is an annual plant growing in waste places.
Vegetable Dyes
Ethel M. Mairet
The reseda, or mignonette, is planted from seed, as here in England.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 643, April 28, 1888
Various
Eva threatens me with her parasol, and laughs, hiding her rosy face in a bouquet of reseda.
Hania
Henryk Sienkiewicz
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

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