Carnation
adj, noun ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
- 1 A type of Eurasian plant widely cultivated for its flowers.; originally, Dianthus caryophyllus countable, uncountable
- 2 a pink or reddish-pink color wordnet
- 3 A type of Eurasian plant widely cultivated for its flowers.; other members of genus Dianthus and hybrids countable, uncountable
- 4 Eurasian plant with pink to purple-red spice-scented usually double flowers; widely cultivated in many varieties and many colors wordnet
- 5 The type of flower they bear, originally flesh-coloured, but since hybridizing found in a variety of colours. countable, uncountable
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- 6 A rosy pink colour countable, uncountable
"And the women of New Bedford, they bloom like their own red roses. But roses only bloom in summer; whereas the fine carnation of their cheeks is perennial as sunlight in the seventh heavens."
- 7 The pinkish colors used in art to render human face and flesh archaic, countable, especially, uncountable
- 8 A scarlet colour. countable, uncountable
- 1 Of a rosy pink or red colour. not-comparable
- 2 Of a human flesh color. archaic, not-comparable
- 1 pink or pinkish wordnet
Example
More examples"The tall man wore a pink carnation in his lapel."
Etymology
From Middle French carnation (“flesh color, complexion”), either via Italian carnagione (“flesh color”) or directly from Late Latin carnātiō (“fleshiness”), from Latin carō (“flesh, meat”) + ātiō (“-ation”). As a flower and its color, possibly instead from corruption in French of coronation (“crowning, crowned thing”) under the influence of carnation, from the flower's supposed resemblance to a crown.
Related phrases
More for "carnation"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.