A hyacinth is a plant with a lot of small, sweet-smelling flowers growing closely around a single stem. It grows from a bulb and the flowers are usually blue, pink, or white.
hyacinth in British English
(ˈhaɪəsɪnθ)
noun
1.
any liliaceous plant of the Mediterranean genus Hyacinthus, esp any cultivated variety of H. orientalis, having a thick flower stalk bearing white, blue, or pink fragrant flowers
2.
the flower or bulb of such a plant
3.
any similar or related plant, such as the grape hyacinth
4. Also called: jacinth
a red or reddish-brown transparent variety of the mineral zircon, used as a gemstone
5. Greek mythology
a flower which sprang from the blood of the dead Hyacinthus
6.
a.
any of the varying colours of the hyacinth flower or stone
b.
(as modifier)
hyacinth eyes
Derived forms
hyacinthine (ˌhaɪəˈsɪnθaɪn)
adjective
Word origin
C16: from Latin hyacinthus, from Greek huakinthos
hyacinth in American English
(ˈhaɪəˌsɪnθ)
noun
1.
a.
among the ancients, a blue gem, probably the sapphire
b.
any of the reddish-orange or brownish varieties of zircon or certain other minerals,used as a semiprecious stone
2.
a.
any of a genus (Hyacinthus) of plants of the lily family, with narrow channeled leaves and spikes of fragrant, bell-shaped flowers in white, yellow, red, blue, or purple
Katerina's eyes had been a deep hyacinth blue, but even in the dim light of the theatre, he could see that Caroline's were grey-blue.
Val McDermid THE LAST TEMPTATION (2002)
Pots of hyacinths and freesias stood on the flagstones, tight-skinned grape hyacinth grew profusely.
Haines, Pamela THE GOLDEN LION (2002)
Then the colors became more mellow: cinnamon, hyacinth blue, aquamarine, mauve.
Robert Silverberg LORD PRESTIMION (2002)
Word lists with
hyacinth
flower, gem, mineral
In other languages
hyacinth
British English: hyacinth /ˈhaɪəsɪnθ/ NOUN
A hyacinth is a plant with a lot of small, sweet-smelling flowers growing closely around a single stem. It grows from a bulb and the flowers are usually blue, pink, or white.
American English: hyacinth
Arabic: مُكَحَّلَةٌ
Brazilian Portuguese: jacinto
Chinese: 风信子
Croatian: zumbul
Czech: hyacint
Danish: hyacint
Dutch: hyacint
European Spanish: jacinto
Finnish: hyasintti
French: jacinthe
German: Hyazinthe
Greek: υάκινθος
Italian: giacinto
Japanese: ヒヤシンス
Korean: 히아신스
Norwegian: hyasint
Polish: hiacynt
European Portuguese: jacinto
Romanian: zambilă
Russian: гиацинт
Latin American Spanish: jacinto
Swedish: hyacint
Thai: ชื่อพันธุ์ไม้ชนิดหนึ่ง
Turkish: sümbül
Ukrainian: гіацинт
Vietnamese: cây dạ lan hương
All related terms of 'hyacinth'
hyacinth bean
an Old World tropical vine , Dolichos lablab , of the legume family, having purple or white flowers and black or white seeds in a papery , beaked pod
wild hyacinth
a camass ( Camassia scilloides ) of the E U.S., with bluish flowers
wood hyacinth
a European scilla ( Scilla nonscripta ) with racemes of drooping , blue, white, or rose , bell-shaped flowers
grape hyacinth
any of various Eurasian liliaceous plants of the genus Muscari, esp M. botryoides, with clusters of rounded blue flowers resembling tiny grapes
water hyacinth
a floating aquatic plant, Eichhornia crassipes, of tropical America, having showy bluish-purple flowers and swollen leafstalks : family Pontederiaceae. It forms dense masses in rivers , ponds , etc, and is a serious problem in the southern US, Australia, and parts of Africa