scabious
1 Americannoun
-
Also called pincushion flower. any of various plants belonging to the genus Scabiosa, of the teasel family, having opposite leaves and often showy flower heads in a variety of colors.
-
any of various similar or related plants.
noun
-
any plant of the genus Scabiosa, esp S. atropurpurea, of the Mediterranean region, having blue, red, or whitish dome-shaped flower heads: family Dipsacaceae
-
any of various similar plants of the related genus Knautia
-
a similar and related Eurasian marsh plant, Succisa pratensis
adjective
-
having or covered with scabs
-
of, relating to, or resembling scabies
Etymology
Origin of scabious1
First recorded in 1595–1605; scabi(es) + -ous
Origin of scabious2
1350–1400; Middle English scabiose < Medieval Latin scabiōsa ( herba ) scabies-curing (herb); see scabies, -ous
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Others include the adonis blue butterfly, the armed nomad bee and the red-tailed mason bee, the shining pot beetle and the large scabious mining bee.
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026
In addition to fulfilling custom orders, they offer a single fresh arrangement each week, available in three sizes, consisting of a lively mix of blooms such as sunflowers, delphiniums, dahlias, agapanthus and scabious.
From New York Times ● Nov. 18, 2020
By recreating the glades which once existed in dense forest cover, they provide home for up to 120 flowering species, among them the devil's-bit scabious, globeflower, great burnet, lady's-mantle, oxeye daisy, pignut and wood crane's-bill.
From The Guardian ● Dec. 13, 2012
The road passes a fir-wood, bright with golden-rod and ragwort and soft blue scabious, and by-and-by turns eastward, and reaches the scattered village of Brendon.
From Devon, Its Moorlands, Streams and Coasts by Northcote, Rosalind
On the moorland behind the cliffs, heather and burnet roses bloomed with azure scabious and white mothmulleins, ladies' tresses and sweet purple orchids.
From Carnival by MacKenzie, Compton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
