English Explanatory Dictionary

gentian

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. Any of various herbs of the family Gentianaceae found in temperate and mountainous regions with violet or blue flowers.
  2. Dried roots and rhizome of European gentian (Gentiana lutea), used as a tonic.

Pronunciation

/ˈd͡ʒɛnt͡ʃən/ /ˈd͡ʒɛnt͡ʃn̩/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-gentian.wav

Word forms

gentian gentians

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.

Synonyms

fieldwort

Derived words

Alpine gentian American gentian Appalachian gentian autumn gentian bastard gentian Bavarian gentian bigleaf gentian bladder gentian blind gentian blue gentian bog gentian Bohemian gentian bottle gentian bristly gentian broadpetal gentian brown gentian Caucasian gentian Charleston gentian Chiltern gentian closed gentian clustered gentian crested gentian cross gentian downy gentian dune gentian dwarf gentian early gentian Elliott's gentian European gentian explorer's gentian field gentian five-flowered gentian fringed gentian gentamicin gentian blue gentianic gentianine gentianose gentian violet German gentian giant gentian greater fringed gentian great yellow gentian green gentian harvestbells gentian horse gentian Karawanken gentian king's scepter gentian marsh gentian Mendocino gentian moss gentian mountain bog gentian narrowleaf gentian Newberry's gentian New England gentian pale gentian Parry's gentian pinebarren gentian plain gentian pleated gentian
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