What does "reseda" mean?
Any of various plants of the genus Reseda having small, pale grayish green flowers, such as dyer's rocket (Reseda luteola) and mignonette (Reseda odorata).
Reseda
/ɹɪˈsiːdə/ adj, name, noun
adj, name, noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Any of various plants of the genus Reseda having small, pale grayish green flowers, such as dyer's rocket (Reseda luteola) and mignonette (Reseda odorata).
- Grammar: reseda is listed as adj, name, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: color, jade, mignonette, pigment.
- Usage evidence: Reſeda […] An herbe that hath a ſtalke like knots and joynts, a leafe like a nettle, and white in the middle.
How to use "reseda"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "reseda" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "reseda" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "reseda" as the right word for your sentence.
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Compare nearby meanings
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Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "reseda" is acting as adj, name, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
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3. Confirm with context
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Final meaning check
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When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Any of various plants of the genus Reseda having small, pale grayish green flowers, such as dyer's rocket (Reseda luteola) and mignonette (Reseda odorata).
"Reſeda […] An herbe that hath a ſtalke like knots and joynts, a leafe like a nettle, and white in the middle."
- 2 any plant of the genus Reseda wordnet
- 3 Mignonette (Reseda odorata). specifically
"About the middle of this month, if the ſeaſon proves favourable, you may plant out your hardy annuals, ſuch as Marvel of Peru, Sweet Sultan, China After or Starwort, Sweet Reſeda called Mignonette d'Egypt, French and African Marigolds, Female Balſamine, Capſicum, Brown Jolly, and ſeveral other ſorts, which, if artfully diſpoſed, will afford an agreeable pleaſure, after the beauty of ſpring is paſt; […]"
- 4 A pale greyish-green colour like the flowers of a reseda plant; mignonette.
"This number contains a lis of the manufacturers of tinctorial chemicals to whom prizes have been awarded at the Vienna Exhibition. We find no English name in the catalogue. There are receipts for dyeing wool a bright green; for a finish for pack-thread; for a reseda on genappe; a brown on silk; a printing black on cotton yarn; a blue-black on old cotton, velvets, and velveteens; a chamois and rose on old goods with cotton warps, saffranin on a sumach mordant being recommended for the latter; a black on mixed woollen and silk; a dark green on wool; a cheap violet on woollen piece-goods."
Adjective
- 1 Having a pale greyish-green colour like the flowers of a reseda plant; mignonette. not-comparable
"By mixing a weaker bath than the one indicated the cotton dyes up a dark green, and the wool acquires a dull and weak reseda shade."
Proper Noun
- 1 A neighborhood of the San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, California, United States.
"It's a long day, livin' in Reseda / There's a freeway, runnin' through the yard"
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Reſeda […] An herbe that hath a ſtalke like knots and joynts, a leafe like a nettle, and white in the middle."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "reseda"?
Common synonyms include: color, jade, mignonette, pigment.
How do you use "reseda" in a sentence?
Reſeda […] An herbe that hath a ſtalke like knots and joynts, a leafe like a nettle, and white in the middle.
How do you pronounce "reseda"?
Pronounced /ɹɪˈsiːdə/.
Etymology
From French réséda, from Latin resēda, said by Pliny the Elder (23–79 C.E.) to be from resēdāre (“to soothe”), from re- (“again”) + sēdāre (“to assuage, calm”)), an allusion to the healing properties of the plant.