Refine this word faster

Stronger alternatives Opposite tone Use in context Cross-language nuance

Gentian

//ˈd͡ʒɛnt͡ʃən// noun

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Any of various herbs of the family Gentianaceae found in temperate and mountainous regions with violet or blue flowers. countable

    "On the cover of the leaflet advertising the Alpenrose Gasthof in Zirl am Gurgl […] there is a decorative picture of a young woman. […] She has bright flaxen hair and laughing eyes of the same hue as the gentians in the meadow beyond the inn."

  2. 2
    any of various plants of the family Gentianaceae especially the genera Gentiana and Gentianella and Gentianopsis wordnet
  3. 3
    Dried roots and rhizome of European gentian (Gentiana lutea), used as a tonic. uncountable

Etymology

Via Middle English from Latin gentiāna, which, according to Pliny the Elder, was named after Gentius (Ancient Greek Γένθιος (Génthios)), the last king of Illyria, who supposedly discovered the plant's medicinal benefits. This has been dismissed as folk etymology but the word may still ultimately be of Illyrian origin, as -an is a common suffix in Illyrian words.

See also for "gentian"

Synonyms Antonyms Rhymes Sentences Translate Word Type Pronunciation Word Forms

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciation

Mini challenge

Unscramble this word: gentian