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carnation

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carnation¹

  • /kɑːˈneɪ.ʃən/ UK
  • /kɑɹˈneɪ.ʃən/ US

Rhymes with -eɪʃən

Where it comes from

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. By surface analysis, Latin carn- + -ate + -ion.

noun carnations

  1. countable, uncountable originally, Dianthus caryophyllus
  2. countable, uncountable other members of genus Dianthus and hybrids

    Similar: clove pink, cottage pink, Dianthus plumarius, Dianthus caryophyllus

  3. countable, uncountable The type of flower they bear, originally flesh-coloured, but since hybridizing found in a variety of colours.
  4. countable, uncountable A rosy pink colour 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.
  5. archaic, countable, especially, uncountable The pinkish colors used in art to render human face and flesh
  6. countable, uncountable A scarlet colour.

adjective

  1. not comparable Of a rosy pink or red colour.
  2. archaic, not comparable Of a human flesh color.

Carnation²

proper noun

  1. A city in King, Washington, United States.
  2. An unincorporated community in Washington County, Oregon, United States.

Translations

Every language

noun plant

Españolclavel
한국어카네이션 kaneisyeon
中文康乃馨 kāngnǎixīn
Portuguêscravo
Françaisœillet
DeutschGartennelke, Nelke
Italianogarofano
Ελληνικάγαρυφαλλιά garyfalliá
Românăgaroafă
Русскийгвозди́ка gvozdíka
Tiếng Việtcẩm chướng
العربيةقَرَنْفُل qaranful

noun flower

Españolclavel
한국어카네이션 kaneisyeon
日本語カーネーション kānēshon
中文康乃馨 kāngnǎixīn
Portuguêscravo
Françaisœillet
DeutschNelke
Italianogarofano
Ελληνικάγαρύφαλλο garýfallo
Românăgaroafă
Русскийгвозди́ка gvozdíka
Tiếng Việtcẩm chướng
العربيةقَرَنْفُل qaranful
עבריתצִפֹּרֶן tzippóren

noun rosy pink colour

中文粉紅色 /粉红色 fěnhóngsè
Françaisincarnat
Русскийтеле́сный telésnyj

adj colour

中文粉紅色的 /粉红色的 fěnhóngsè de
Françaisincarnat
Românăroz
Русскийтеле́сный telésnyj

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Cite this
MLA

"carnation." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/carnation. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

carnation. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/carnation

Chicago

"carnation." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/carnation.

BibTeX
@misc{carnation_2026,
  title = {carnation},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/carnation},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}